Culturally Intelligent Storytelling at Media Associates International

In November, Media Associates International is putting me in front of writers who publish in languages I do not speak, in countries I have never worked in. So all of us will be on one call.

On Tuesday, 17 November 2026, I will speak at an online webinar hosted by Media Associates International. The session runs for one hour. It starts at 9:00 in the evening Manila time, which is 8:00 in the morning on the United States East Coast.

Media Associates International, or MAI, works with Christian writers, editors, and publishers around the world. It helps them produce work that serves the church and reaches a wider public.

Why Media Associates International asked for this

The invitation followed the Philippine launch of my book. After that, MAI asked for the core teaching of it for their global membership.

Their people use the word contextualised storytelling. However, I use the phrase culturally intelligent storytelling. The two are not the same thing, but they are chasing a related question. How does a story land with a reader who does not share the writer’s culture?

So that question sits at the centre of the work. It is also the daily problem of any editor whose readers live on a different continent from the writer.

What the session will cover

The Media Associates International audience is made up of people who already write for readers in another culture. So the framework fits the room.

First, I will walk through the CIS Bamboo Framework, which is the method at the heart of the book.

Bamboo is the image because bamboo bends without breaking. The roots hold while the stalk moves. So a story that crosses a border has to do the same thing. Something has to give, and something has to stay.

But the hard part is telling those two apart. Writers usually protect the wrong things. They hold on to a detail that only makes sense at home, while letting go of the thing that actually carried the meaning.

Then, after the teaching, there will be time for questions.

Where this stands

Media Associates International will announce the final title, the full description, and the registration details on their own channels. Then I will add the link to this page as soon as it is live.

So if you write, edit, or publish for readers outside your own culture, keep the evening of 17 November free. For now this is a save the date.