Kay Xander Mellish

Kay Xander Mellish is an author, speaker, and podcaster based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the author of several books on Denmark, including "The Danish Year" (2026), "How to Live in Denmark" (2014 and 2017) "How to Work in Denmark" (2018 and 2022), "Working with Americans: Tips for Danes" (2019), "Working with Danes: Tips for Americans" (2020) and "Top 35 Mistakes Danes Make in English" (2016).

Kay grew up in Wisconsin and graduated magna cum laude from New York University, where she studied journalism and art history. In addition to her non-fiction work, which has appeared in publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, Sports Illustrated, Mother Jones, and the Danish media outlets Berlingske Tidende and BT, Kay spent many years writing fiction.

Unable to find a publisher, she began flyposting the first page of her short stories on lampposts and construction sidings in New York City, with a voicemail number to call if readers wanted to hear the rest of the story. After a law-and-order mayor cracked down on flyposters, Kay took to the internet, creating in 1995 one of the first fiction sites on the web.

Kay moved to Denmark in 2000. She is the voice behind the "How to Live in Denmark" podcast, which has been running since 2013, with each episode less than 10 minutes long. Kay is a frequent keynote speaker at companies, business groups, and intercultural events across Denmark and throughout Europe.