"happy mess"

by Nas and Sara
as part of topo.grafiaaa's one2five writing workshop

recorded in a garage Etterbeekois
1 July 2023

happy mess

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio; I'm your host, James Navé. Today, I'm delighted to introduce Terra Dyer Gill, an intuitive healer who recently attended my writing workshop at the Lake Eden Retreat. Afterward, we engaged in a profound conversation about the interconnectedness of every particle on Earth, including humans, as cells within a greater whole.

In his poem "Fiddler Jones," Edgar Lee Masters writes, "The Earth Keeps some vibration going / there in your heart, and that is you." Terra and I explore this concept, discussing the relationship between the vibrations throbbing within us and those emanating from the Earth. Terra shares her insights on how understanding our internal vibrations can help us align with the universal vibrations surrounding us.

The question, "Where do I belong?" powers our conversation, offering reflections and revelations. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on finding your place in the universal symphony of vibrations. Enjoy the show.

The Earth's Vibrations with intuitive healer Terra Dyer Gill

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé, (www.jamesnave.com). Today, I'm joined by writing coach and author Cynthia Morris (www.originalimpulse.com). Cynthia's mission is to empower writers—especially those who feel time or self-doubt working against them—to craft books that make an impact.

I've been receiving newsletters from Cynthia for some time and recently decided to reach out to learn more about what she's up to. I was particularly interested in touching base with her because she teaches writing workshops in Paris. I've been visiting Paris for many years and teaching writing workshops there, so it was a natural curiosity to follow up with an email.

We dove right into the idea of world-changing means. Cynthia's perspective is refreshingly grounded: everything we do changes the world somehow, and the more you commit to what you do, the more meaningful your influence becomes—starting small and rippling outward into the larger world.

Cynthia explains why it's essential to embrace your creative instincts and how to overcome the "monsters at the gate"—the fear of failure, irrelevance, or imperfection. With her workshops in Paris as a backdrop, Cynthia shares tools for building a writing life that's joyful, disciplined, and aligned with your deeper values.

For anyone longing to write but unsure where to begin, this episode offers practical tips, compassionate insights, and encouragement to take your next creative writing steps. Let's get started—your book is waiting. Enjoy the show.

Twice 5 Miles Radio is sponsored by The Imaginative Storm Writing Project (www.ImaginativeStorm.com).

Write A World Changing Book with writing coach and author Cynthia Morris

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio, I’m your host, James Navé.

In this episode, we begin with Leandro Reyes, Manila’s dynamic “Basyang Kid”—a spoken-word artist who channels a century-old literary legacy into powerful performances, poetic craft, and cultural community-building. From open mic stages across Makati to the pages of Postscript Magazine, 

Leandro honors the legacy of his great-grandfather, Severino “Lola Basyang” Reyes—the iconic playwright and “Father of Tagalog Zarzuela”—while forging his own bold new path. His debut poem, “Sugarcoats,” contemplates loss with quiet precision, and his work in theater and advocacy reveals a deep devotion to Filipino artistry and imagination.

Then we travel from Manila to Taos for a conversation I recorded a few years ago with Ocean Vuong, bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and his current novel, The Emperor of Gladness, published on May 13, 2025.  Ocean was in Northern New Mexico for the Taos Poetry Festival, and we sat down to talk about poetry, language, loss, and what it means to carry beauty and grief in the same breath.

To close the show, I offer a short writing workshop—an invitation called “A Long Look at Yourself.” It’s a simple, powerful practice in awareness and emotional truth, designed to help you connect with your voice and see your own story in a fresh light.

Whether you're a writer, a listener, or someone simply curious about the human spirit, I hope this episode offers you something to carry with you.

A Long Look at Yourself with poets Leandro Reyes and Ocean Vuong

topo-s-audio-archive 

collects texts, poems and sonic traces of the linguistic landscape of brussels by the poetry collecti.e.f topo.grafiaaa.

---------

topo.grafiaaa is a Belgian collecti.e.f multilingue, an experimental wordlab that aims to create tools for collective and multilingual writing.

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.

New tracks tagged #writingworkshop