Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé.  Today’s guest is PJ Ewing—a longtime friend, brilliant digital marketer, skilled podcast host of Lester the Nightfly, and one of the most thoughtful audio engineers I know.

This wide-ranging conversation explores the evolving intersection of sound, artificial intelligence, and American culture. From podcasting to tech ethics, it’s a deep dive into our digital future.

PJ and I dig into what makes good audio, the shifting podcasting landscape, how media influences identity, and whether we as a species can survive the next 400 years.

From the 1960’s Gunsmoke TV series to AI, from Alaska community radio to Malcolm Gladwell’s take on gun culture, we examine the deep questions—and share a few laughs along the way.

You’ll come away with fresh insights on creativity, society, and the risks we’re all taking to build whatever’s next.

Key Topics Covered in the Interview
The importance of high-quality audio in podcasting
Tips and gear for DIY podcasting (mics, software, editing tools)
Niche podcasting vs. general interviews
Podcast recommendations (including 20,000Hz, Pivot, Hard Fork, StarTalk)
PJ’s shift away from political media
Malcolm Gladwell and the cultural influence of Gunsmoke
Personal reflections on American gun culture
Local community resilience post-Hurricane Helene
The case for city-states over large national governments
Speculative futures: AI, gene editing, alien contact
Cultural evolution and the crisis of masculinity
Whether humanity can survive the next 400 years
The dual nature of capitalism as destructive and innovative

Aliens Are Coming: PJ Ewing on technology, culture, and the American Mind

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio; I’m your host, James Navé.  
In this episode, I speak with Schree Chavdarov, Global Engagement Director of LEAF Global Arts, about solidarity, resilience, and the healing power of culture. From the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina to grassroots programs across El Salvador, Rwanda, and Kenya, Schree shows how art keeps communities alive when everything else is broken.
She shares her own extraordinary story of surviving a rare, life-threatening parasite—an experience that deepened her understanding of resilience and solidarity.

We also discuss how drumming, storytelling, and preserving languages become pathways to healing, hope, and identity for young people worldwide.

Together, we reflect on what it means to live fully in challenging times: to welcome others, to share culture, to keep creating even when resources are scarce. This conversation reminds us that art is not a luxury—it is a lifeline.

Global Language of Resilience with Schree Chavdarov, LEAF Global Arts

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.

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