Christine Lee: An Open Book

Born to South Korean immigrants, Christine Lee has always been aware of her "otherness" as a child growing up in white America. From "strange" lunches brought to school to the disappointing launch of Margaret Cho's All-American Girl, Lee has been waiting for Asian-Americans' glimpse of inclusion in America's grand mosaic. It finally arrived when she watched--with her white boyfriend--ABC's novel Fresh Off the Boat, a weekly sitcom featuring a Chinese-American family and their everyday culture clash in Orlando, Florida. Alan talks with Christine about diversity, inclusion, and the function of storytelling.

Alan Headbloom

Alan advises Americans how to be global citizens and expats how to fit in to Michigan culture without annoying their native coworkers and clients. He also tweets and blogs at the intersection of language and culture. Over decades, he's traveled, studied, or lived on six continents, putting strange foods into his mouth and emitting strange sounds from it. His use of English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Hausa, and Japanese all improve with alcohol use. He gives invited public presentations on culture and unsolicited private advice on English grammar and usage; the latter isn't always appreciated. Visit his website for information on consulting, coaching, or speaking engagements.