Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Richard Hugo?

Richard Hugo was a poet who was born in the working-class neighborhood of White Center in Seattle in 1923. His writing concerns the mysteries of ordinary life in the city and the lives of working people. He studied under Theodore Roethke at the University of Washington and published many collections of poems, including “The Lady of Kicking Horse Reservoir,” “A Run of Jacks” and “Good Luck in Cracked Italian.” For many years he was a technical writer at Boeing, but in 1972 he became a professor of writing at the University of Montana. There he published a book about teaching creative writing called “The Triggering Town” and a detective novel called “Death and the Good Life.” “Making Certain it Goes On,” his collected poems, came out in 1984, two years after his death. 

We are sometimes asked who Victor Hugo is. Victor Hugo—no relation to Richard—was a 19th-century French author known for writing “Les Miserables” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

What is Hugo House's history?

Hugo House was founded in 1997 by three writers who believed Seattle needed a center for local writers and readers to find a community and create new works.

 
What is Hugo House?

We are a center for writers and readers.  We offer classes, events, and residencies 12 months a year.

Are there other places like this in the country?

Richard Hugo House is the third largest writing center in the country, after The Loft in Minneapolis and The Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Hugo House is alone in offering a mix of classes, events and residencies and alone in commissioning new work in its Literary Series.

 
Can I hang out at Hugo House?

At Hugo House we maintain an atmosphere of respectful quiet so that people may come here to read and write. Our café is open only during events. However, anyone is welcome to stop in to the Cabaret/café space if it is not being used for an event. Most of our events are open to the public.

Hugo House members may use the library during its hours of operation.

 
How do I get to Hugo House?

We have directions from all points of the city here.

Where are some good bars, hotels and cafés in the area?

We go regularly to the Elysian, a brew pub with great burgers, Philly cheese steaks, fries and—most importantly—award-winning beers, which are all made in the large kettles right in the bar. The list of chewy, bready, spiky beers goes on for a couple of pages, but we recommend the Dragonstooth, a dark beer that kicks like a mule, or Bête Blanche, a Belgian-style ale (14th Avenue & Pike on Capitol Hill).

 
La Spiga is great, too. It has high ceilings, an extensive wine list, a big view of the city, a long bar, high, wooden booths and an L-shaped couch for people-watching. Ask if they have a Barbera by the glass. La Spiga is located on 12th Avenue, close to Pike.

 
Via Tribunali serves beer by the pint, wine by the glass and some awfully good thin-crust pizza made in the wood oven that sits in the corner, pleasingly close to the Jameson's (on Pike, between Broadway and 11th Street).

 
1200 Club is a good place to close the deal. Drink-drinks served in a coolly dark room. (12th Avenue & Pike).

 
Looking for something fast and cheap? The Satellite, on Pike, is what you want. One or two storefronts down from 12th, it is no-frills and specializes in cold beer on tap, a stocked bar and surprisingly fine hamburgers. If you're craving Vietnamese fare, walk north on Broadway to Pho 900.  For a speedy, gut-busting burrito and a pint of PBR, visit Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen, now located on Pike close to Caffe Vita.

 
Two of Seattle's coffee powerhouses are a five-minute walk away: There's Espresso Vivace Roasteria on Denny Way, just off Cal Anderson Park.  Your reward for waiting in line is a perfectly poured cappuccino. Just south of Hugo House on Pike Street is Caffe Vita, a two-story, wood-paneled café and roasteria also known for strong, good coffee. Their drip is French press and you may find, drinking it, that your latte days are at an end.

 
Cafe Argento is fast, cheap, friendly, and right around the corner on 12th and Howell.  Relax on couches or finish the crossword at a window table while you enjoy coffee, soups and sandwiches for at least a buck or two cheaper than anyplace else in the neighborhood.

 
If you're planning to stick around, you'll get a good night's sleep at the Silver Cloud Inn (closest), the Inn at the Market, The W, The Alexis and The Warwick.

 
When is the café open?

The café is usually open during evening and weekend events.  In general it opens a half hour before a show begins.

 
What is the Hugo Writer's Fund?

Through the Hugo Writers Fund individuals and organizations creating literary events can apply for co-sponsorship awarded in grants of Hugo House performance space and/or honoraria. Applications are due quarterly and we are especially interested in promoting new work and emerging writers. Co-sponsors  include “Cheap Wine and Poetry,” Cranky Journal, Fantastic Fiction Salons and the Seattle Poetry Festival. For complete information, including the application and deadlines: www.hugohouse.org/events/writersfund.

Hugo House no longer rents its theater to theater companies; we have our new theater residenents - Next Stage and SIS Productions - producing new work in Hugo House's theater.  Ticket sales vary for each production, so the best way to find out how to buy them is to check out the events page.  You can also search for tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com.

 
When does the next class schedule come out?

The catalogs are mailed (and posted to the Web site) mid-August for fall quarter; mid-November for winter quarter; mid-February for spring quarter and mid-May for summer quarter. Quarters begin the first Tuesday in October, January, April and July.

How do I register for a class?

Registration for Hugo Writing Classes can be done by phone, fax, mail or in person. For payment, we accept cash, check (payable to Richard Hugo House) or debit/credit cards (Visa or Mastercard only). To register by phone, please give us a call at (206) 322-7030. By fax, print up our registration form, fill it out completely, and fax it to (206) 320-8767. For phone and fax registrations, we accept only credit/debit cards. To register by mail or in person, print out our registration form, fill it in completely and send it in or drop it by with your payment. If you have any questions about registration, please e-mail Brian McGuigan at brianmcguigan@hugohouse.org.

 
How do I get a scholarship for a class?

Scholarship  information can be found here.

Where can I find class handouts and other stuff my teacher may have left me?

There is a pick-up/drop-off box behind Hugo House's front desk. If you need to pick something up, please alert a front desk assistant, and he/she will gladly find what you're looking for.
 

How much do copies cost?

Students, members and visitors may use our copier for small copy jobs.  Members pay five cents per copy, nonmembers pay 10 cents per copy.  If you need to use our copier, you must be assisted by our front desk staff.

 
What about the baby coffin?

The baby coffin lives in the crawl space next to the entrance to the zine library. If a very brave volunteer is on duty, he or she might show it to you.

 
Do you have any outreach programs?

Hugo In the Prisons is an outreach program for incarcerated writers. Our writers-in-residence perform outreach as requested, especially the Hugo Huts writers-in-residence, who have taught writing workshops for the homeless in collaboration with Real Change and the Seattle Public Library.  ZAPP also conducts zine workshops in schools, at libraries, etc. as requested.

 
How much are our rentals?

We rent both of our classrooms -  Alice and Winslow -  and the Cabaret space, including the bar, Cafe Hugo.  For rates  and more information:  www.hugohouse.org/house/rental.

 
When will the director of facilities get back to me about my rental request?

Due to the high volume of requests, it can take up to 48 hours to process rental requests.  Thank you for your patience.

 
Anything else we can help you with? Call (206) 322-7030 or email welcome@hugohouse.org