I am moderately familiar with ancient Greek culture, and this is the first I've heard that Lesbos was particularly multicultural in Sappho's day. That feels a reach, particularly when he bolsters the idea by referencing present-day immigration patterns.

Also: "It’s no coincidence that Greece —which has the largest coastline of any country in the entire Mediterranean region— was the epicenter of innovation in the classical world. Those 8,500 miles of shore land are a measure of Greece’s openness to the outside world." Really? That certainly seems a coincidence to me.