Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with my longtime friend, John Biscello—a gifted writer, actor, poet, and theater director who’s been shaping the artistic landscape of Taos, New Mexico for over two decades.

John and I connected across the Atlantic—he in Taos and me in a 6th-floor studio on rue Dauphine in Paris. In this lively conversation, John and I discuss his latest youth theater production, Neverland Noir, a metaphysical remix of Peter Pan featuring 30 young performers. The show premieres at the Wildflower Playhouse in Taos, April 11–13.

John founded the Taos Youth Ensemble over ten years ago, and in that time, he discovered just how transformative the creative process can be for young people. Our conversation explores how theater teaches flexibility, confidence, collaboration, and the power of embracing mistakes onstage as creative gold.

We also dive into John’s rich, multidisciplinary creative life—his work as a novelist, playwright, spoken word artist, and filmmaker—and how Taos continues to be a haven for imaginative expression. As always, our talk reminded me why we make art first: to connect, grow, and honor the magic in things not going quite as planned.

"Be Wrong Loud" John Biscello on Youth, Theater, and the Art of Not Knowing

Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising exchanges with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who speak from the core. Each episode dives beneath the surface to explore the stories and questions that shape our lives.

I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime creative collaborator. With an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and decades of teaching experience across the globe, I help writers and performers tap into their authentic voices through public speaking, creative writing, and the Imaginative Storm method, which I co-developed with Allegra Huston.

My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer (3: A Taos Press), documents a hundred days of healing and poetic reckoning. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience—practical guides for anyone seeking to speak and write with more truth and power.

I’ve directed festivals, hosted literary salons, taught with Julia Cameron, and memorized over 600 poems. I still believe in the power of a well-told story, the light through stained glass, and the open road with nothing but a podcast and a windshield full of stars.

"Be Wrong Loud" John Biscello on Youth, Theater, and the Art of Not Knowing

Twice Five Miles