20 Questions with De-nin Lee
De-nin Lee is an art historian specializing in the history of art in China. She has taught at Emerson since 2012.
1 What is your idea of perfect happiness? Cooking together, sharing a meal.
2 If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be? Probably literature, but I do aspire to being a birder and naturalist.
3 Whom do you most admire? Individuals who maintain their sense of humanity even under the most adverse of circumstances.
4 What are three adjectives you’d use to describe Emerson? Sensitive, inventive, and…passionate.
5 Where is your favorite spot at Emerson? In the library stacks. I love the serendipity of stumbling upon books that are new to me.
6 Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “In this regard.”
7 What do you consider your greatest achievement? Deciding that I would no longer seek to be liked by people I did not respect. As Johnny Hartman sang in “Nature Boy,” “The greatest thing, you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
8 What’s your greatest regret? Allowing my fear of social judgment to prevent me from plunging into everything afforded to me during my college years. (If you are currently in college: don’t make the mistake I did!)
9 Who are your favorite writers? Toni Morrison, Billy Collins, Anthony Doerr, Joan Didion, Louise Erdrich, and more… Amitav Ghosh, John McPhee, Mary Oliver, Ruth Ozeki. I also like to read the words of colleagues on the campus in Boston. In this regard, I think of Julia Glass, Jabari Asim, Megan Marshall, and Kim McLarin.
10 What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last year? The Holdovers. So funny, smart, and endearing.
11 If you could have dinner with one person—alive or dead—who would it be? I’m hopeful that dinner would include a cooking lesson. I’d choose Alice Waters.
12 If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I wish I could fly.
13 Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning; tea in the afternoon.
14 Beach or mountains? Mountains (near the shore).
15 Broadway or Hollywood? Off-Broadway and Hollywood-adjacent.
16 If you could spend 48 hours in any city around the globe, where would you go? Auckland, Aotearoa [New Zealand]
17 What song are you most embarrassed to love? “You’re So Vain,” by Carly Simon.
18 You’re stranded on an island. What three possessions would you not be able to live without? Eyeglasses, writing utensil, paper. (I guess I’ll be fasting while I try to capture the scenery.)
19 What is your motto? “Give it a try.”
20 What’s the best thing about Emerson? The people.
