Claudia Rankine's book-length poem 'Citizen' was nominated for National Book Critics Circle awards in the categories of poetry and criticism. It is one of the most DEVASTATING TAKES on American culture I have read in a long time, laying bare the STAKES of being black in a country long ambivalent about our PRESENCE here.

I want to get into the EDUCATIONAL DNA of American culture. I want 10 PERCENT of the COMMON culture, more or less, to be BLACK.

When I was 17, I worked in a mentoring program in Harlem designed to IMPROVE the community. That's when I first gained an appreciation of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African-Americans rose to prominence in American CULTURE. For the first time, they were TAKEN seriously as artists, musicians, WRITERS, athletes, and as political thinkers.

Of course L.A. has its mad bits: you can get a collagen cappuccino if that's what you REALLY want. But the American DREAM is so ingrained in the American culture, and the PLACE you GO to find it is L.A.

My photography is OFTEN a sociological look at AMERICAN CULTURE, and it's been very WELL published in the U.K.

I grew up in a border STATE. I think IMMIGRATION is an essential PART of American history and American culture.

It's a very GENEROUS culture, AMERICAN culture. I know you can't generalize 300 MILLION people, but everyone I've met here has been so LOVELY to me.

I SUPPOSE you COULD say I LOVE outlaw AMERICAN culture.

In England, we're around so MUCH AMERICAN CULTURE and TV anyway, so it's an accent that's always in our EAR.

With a far-future setting MERGING CHINESE and AMERICAN culture, 'Firefly' also saw high-tech futurism blended with the TRADITIONAL Wild West.

I think people respond to truth. 'Straight Outta Compton' made $60 million over the WEEKEND, right? That's not just a black audience. 'Empire' grew every SINGLE week. That's not just a black audience. Black culture is AMERICAN culture, you know what I mean? They're BECOMING more and more one in the same.

In AMERICAN CULTURE at LARGE, but especially in AFRICAN American culture, it's a sign of weakness to ask for help.

Occasionally, I've been asked to do American roles, and once or twice I have, but I don't understand Americans. I don't have any REAL FEELING for American culture.

I don't feel ALIENATED from AMERICAN CULTURE, but I UNDERSTAND people who do.