Daphne Ming Durham
Daphne Ming Durham’s first-ever favorite book was Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are (she still has her first copy). She says, “The illustrations are dazzling. So rich and beautiful and still as captivating now, and the story is about independence and angst and also the safety of home. I still love it.”
On her desk, you’ll find a jar full of a million pens and Blackwing pencils, a watercolor by her 10-year-old niece, a heart-shaped stress ball from her Amazon days, a handful of crystals, her MCD/FSG business cards, her personal and work computers, and various in-progress galleys.
Daphne was born on Long Island and moved around a lot as a kid: Phoenix, Portland, a suburb of Chicago. She moved to Seattle after grad school and has lived in Seattle going on 25 years. She feels her New York roots, but considers herself a West Coaster— the PNW, especially.
Her ideal Sunday is reading a book she’s not currently working on, walking her dog, doing a puzzle with a glass of wine, seeing friends for dinner, then watching some binge-worthy show with her husband.
When Daphne isn’t doing work for the SAL board, you will find her reading, reading, always reading. Not surprisingly, her motto is: “There’s no such thing as guilty pleasure reading.”