About

Hugo House was founded in founded in 1997 by Linda Jaech, Frances McCue, and Andrea Lewis

Andrea Lewis (Microsoft)

Andrea Lewis was Microsoft's first technical writer, joining in 1977. She had previously edited the monthly newsletter, Computer Notes, for Microsoft's first customer Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems . She left the company in 1983, today her financial worth is estimated to be around $2...

. These three writers believed Seattle needed a center for local writers and readers to find a community and create new work. In 1999, Laura Hirschfield described the nonprofit organization: "Richard Hugo House is a two-year old literary arts center in Seattle named after the Seattle-born poet and creative writing teacher Richard Hugo

Richard Hugo

Richard Hugo , born Richard Hogan, was an American poet. Primarily a regionalist, Hugo's work reflects the economic depression of the Northwest, particularly Montana. Born in White Center, Washington, he was raised by his mother's parents after his father left the family...

 who wrote squarely and poignantly about people and places often overlooked."

The House

Hugo House occupies a 16206 square feet (1,505.6 m²) Victorian house originally built in 1902. Previous occupants of the building include New City Theater and before the Bonney-Watson mortuary and funeral home.

In addition to administrative offices, the House include:

• an 88/150 theater
• a cabaret stage and cafe
• a library with computers;
• a Zine
  Zine
  A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
  
   archive and publishing project (ZAPP)
• two multipurpose rooms
• a conference room
• an art gallery
• private meeting spaces

Hugo House Programs

Hugo House present a number of programs, including:

• Hugo Writing Classes
• Hugo Classes for Teachers
• Hugo Classes for Youth
• Hugo Writers Fund
• Hugo In Print
• Stage Fright
• Hugo Works in Progress
• Hugo Literary Series
• Hugo Gallery
• Writers-in-Residence
• Belltown Residency

ZAPP

ZAPP, an acronym for Zine Archive and Publishing Project, is a library of zines and related publishing materials inside the Hugo House. As of 2011 the collection included 20,000 zines, comics, chapbooks and other small press periodicals. It is one of the world's largest collections of such publications.

Articles

• A Study in Social Entrepreneurship: Richard Hugo House, Laura Hirschfield, Grantmakers in the Arts Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 2, Autumn 1999
• All eyes on a timely topic at Hugo House, John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
  
  , 10/4/2002,
• Open House, Christopher Frizzelle, The Stranger
  The Stranger (newspaper)
  The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
  
  , 7/24/2003,
• Making Things Better, Frances McCue, Community Arts, 10/2004
• Not With a Bang, But a Whimper, Paul Constant, The Stranger
  The Stranger (newspaper)
  The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
  
  , 9/16/2008
• Hugo House names interim director, John Marshall, Seattle PI, 10/23/2008