Annual Report 2016Hugo House opens the literary world to everyone who loves books or has a drive to write—giving people a place to read words, hear words, and make their own words better.

More than 8,210 people attended 119 events

Over 82% of our events were entirely free and open to the public

663 people read their work

2,230 students took classes or workshops

215 classes were taught by 135 teachers, which accounts for over 24,069 hours of personalized instruction

Over $21,985 was awarded in class scholarships, over $11,100 of which went to youth

from the Executive DirectorIn 2016 Hugo House embarked on a momentous change: acquiring a permanent new home. In May, two days before our scheduled move, we had a dramatic flood in our beloved home on Capitol Hill. That old house was dilapidated, and the flood seemed a prophetic signal that it was time to say goodbye. Hugo House needs an enduring home where we can expand our programs.

We moved into a perfect temporary location (thanks to the partnership of The Frye Art Museum) and didn’t skip a beat on our class schedule. We held some events here at 1021 Columbia Street, and we partnered with other spaces to present nationally renowned writers to larger audiences.

We set out to raise funds for our new home while simultaneously working with architects at NBBJ to design a new space that will resonate with writers’ imaginations—a place as creative, quirky, and mean-ingful as our organization has always been. In this time of transition, we are more invigorated than ever by the support and dedication of our community of writers and readers. With your help, we’ll be able to move to a brand new space by early 2018. Thanks so much for being a part of the Hugo House family.

Yours,

Tree Swenson

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To me, [Hugo House] feels like home. It’s an eclectic space, full of eclectic people, and everyone wants so badly to be there, to be sharing their art, to be exposed to others’ art, and to be immersed in the culture that has been so carefully culti-vated there.” — Scribes student

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Having a space to learn and be challenged and supported alongside other writers who are taking the same big risks I was helped nudge me to write a story I might otherwise have lacked the courage to tell. — Putsata Reang, author of the New York Times’ “Modern Love” essay “At Sea, and Seeking a Safe Harbor”

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“ I’ve rarely had such a raptur-ous and intelligent crowd as at Hugo House, nor a group of more avid and dedicated students in a master class. I loved every minute of Hugo House’s excellent hospitality and literary activism.— Maggie Nelson, MacArthur “Genius” fellow and author of The Argonauts

Creative writing classes that are both supportive and rigorous are at the core of Hugo House’s mission. Every quarter, we offered over 60 classes for writers of all levels in a wide range of genres and topics—from The Art of the Sentence to Landing a Literary Agent. Classes are taught by experienced and published writ-ers, many of whom have received national acclaim, such as MacArthur Genius Maggie Nelson, Alexander Chee, Hoa Nguyen, Jenny Offill, Laura Van Den Berg, Téa Obreht, and more.

CLASSES

A packed schedule of events highlighted the last months at the old location, including a big closing bash with everyone writing on the walls of our old home. We partnerned with venues around Seattle after our move to present Hugo House’s signature series, Word Works: Writers on Writing and the Hugo Literary Series.

In 2016, Hugo House presented Sherman Alexie, Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), Kevin Young, Susan Orlean, D.A. Powell, Heidi Julavits, Claire Vaye Watkins, Andrew Sean Greer, Colson Whitehead, Lidia Yuknavitch, Alexander Chee, the recent Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess, and many more writers.

EVENTS

I’m proud of the skills I’ve learned from workshop after workshop, but to me, the most valuable thing Hugo House gave me is a sense of belonging, of community.— Aidan Dinker, Scribes student and member of the Young Writers Cohort

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FINANCIALS

CLASSES YOUTH PROGRAMSThrough one-day, multi-week, and year-round offerings, Hugo House’s youth programs brought together diverse groups of kids to engage intensely with creative writing. Programs included Scribes two-week writing camps; Write Time, a weekly drop-in writing circle; and Stage Fright, a monthly open mic for teens.

The Young Writers Cohort offered a unique opportunity for talented and dedicated high school-aged writers to deeply commit to their craft and form a meaningful connection to the literary community. Each cohort member devoted over 80 hours to workshopping, studying contemporary writing, submitting work to literary journals and presses, and attending readings and events. In 2016, Hugo House expanded the program to offer both a prose and poetry track cohort.

To support emerging writers, Hugo House provides space and resources to six writers in the Seattle area through the Made at Hugo House fellowship. A yearlong calendar of meetings with the writers-in-res-idence, complimentary Hugo House classes, and mile-stone readings support the completion of each fellows’ proposed project.

2016 Made at Hugo House fellows: Gabrielle Bates, Beryl Clark, Katie Lee Ellison, Willie Fitzgerald, Shankar Narayan, and Ray Stoeve.

RESIDENCIESHugo House writers-in-residence receive a monthly stipend, paid teaching opportunities, and the time and space to complete a manuscript. The program also gives aspiring writers in the Seattle area an opportunity to receive guidance from a published writer, free of charge.

2016 writers-in-residence: Sonora Jha (prose) and Anastacia-Renée (poetry)

Contributions (Operating) 9%

Contributions (Capital) 50%

Programs 26%

Grants 3%

Unrelated business income 1%

In-Kind 6%

Fundraising Events (net) 5%

RevenueTotal: $2,368,971

ExpensesTotal: $1,331,986

Management andGeneral 5%

Program Services 77%

Fundraising 18%

Program  Services  

Management  and  General  

Fundraising  

Programs

Contributions - Operating Contributions - Capital Fundraising Events

Grants

Unrelated business income In-Kind

Thank you to the following sponsors and grantors for their generous support of our programs:

PUBLISHER ($10,000 and above)

Blaise Aguera Y Arcas and Adrienne FairhallAllison Augustyn and Mike Kollins/Pinnacle Gardens FoundationBreneman Jaech FoundationLinda Breneman and Eric StrandDick CantwellSean and Lacey ClemmonsDick and Mary Beth GemperleJoshua Green FoundationLynn and Brian GrantLinda and Ted JohnsonStacy Lawson and Steve SarkowskyMargaret Orth and Joshua SmithAndrea Lewis and Wendell TangbornBill and Ruth True

NOVEL ($5,000 - $9,999)

Sue GilbertKimberley Jordan/New Bel- gium Family FoundationVictoria MabusMeriwether PartnersNorman Hirschfield FoundationSeattle7Writers/ShunpikeGarth and Andrea SteinWilliam Parks and Beth StruckhoffTree Swenson

SHORT STORY ($2,500 - $4,99)

Joel and Sandy AslanianMark BlatterJohn and Patsy BurgessMindy DeYoungChris and Lisa JahrmanJohn and Nancy KeeganLeslie FundTom Douglas Catering & EventsTulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions

PARAGRAPH ($1,000 - $2,499)

Tom Alberg and Judi BeckJanice and Carmine BozziNancy Ward and Toby BrightCathy and Michael CasteelScott ClawsonCarol CrewsMeredith and Mark England-MarkunChris and Angela FaulKristine ForbesJulie GardnerSharon GoldbergKatherine HardingTamara and Andrew HendryKip and Stanley GreenthalHelen S. and John K. McKetta Jr Charitable FoundationJ. Bookwalter WineryNancy NordhoffAnita Braker and David OlsenMargaret PakRegie and Frank RoutmanMaria SempleHuoi Trieu and Sung ShinJason and Jamie StrayerVulcan Inc.Washington Women’s FoundationJanet Yoder

STANZA ($500 - $999)

James AndersonAnonymous Thomas BancroftMary CaseyKit CudahyAndrew DonkinAkiko Eisner-WatersDonte and Tanisha FelderAlyx FierMartin GannholmCarol HoldingElise Holschuh and Brian McAndrewsJames and Janice SnyderJohn and Nancy Jo KeeganEileen Kollins

Howard LevEric McMillanShelley MitchellPaul NiebanckLisbet NilsonLaura OxfordEloisa and Mark RaynaultPatricia RussellHeidi SeabornKellini WalterBrian Whiting

COUPLET ($250-$499)

AnonymousRoxana AramaMeri Arnett-KremianChris BantaHeather and Mark BarbieriSteve June and Kate BaumannTeresa BledsoeKirk and Kim BoysShira BrewerRebecca DiopDavid DowningPeter EberhardySusan Lammers and Walter EuyangStephanie FlorioDavid FranklinEric GierJohn GillisCarla GranatBarbara Dolby and Mark HadleyBill HughesPatrick KelleySusan KnoxAnne McDuffieRoss McMeekinRyan MolencampJessica MooneyWendy MullenJennifer MulreanKathleen OrthConnie and Jim PetersenRaymond PomponChanning RedfordStarling RobertsVirginia SybertEmily Warn

Lillo WayDeborah Woodard

SENTENCE ($100 - $249)

Alice AchesonNancy E AckerLynn AdamsBridget AldaracaLauren AllenAnonymousBetsy AokiMiroslav BackonjaKim BakerRebecca BarnesIrene BarnettEllen BassCarol BauerSean BeaudoinKim BerardiMary Boles-HallTerra BowlesKellen BraddockShawn BradleyTaylor BrownColleen BrowneTamara BunnellLisa CarciaMary CatlinIngrid ChiangKay Rae ChomicEdward ClarkTherese CoadAndrea CorcoranEmilie CorthellJennifer DoughertyHeather DowneyRorry DunbarAngela FountasLaura GamacheHeidi GeisVera GilesDaniel and Heidi GoddardSierra GoldenWilliam GoldsmithRebecca GravesDeborah GreenMarlice GulacsikSusan E HamiltonShawn HarganDiana Hausman

Elizabeth HawkinsCynthia HennessyCarolyn HughesRobin HyerstayJillian JacksonFredda JaffeJohn and Shari BehnkeJeremy JohnsenJamila JohnsonKathryn JohnsonMary KasingerCarol KellyFiona de KerckhoveKalehua KimWendy KraussDavid LaskinMary LawrenceSonya LeaCarol LevinJiayi LiangDeirdre LockwoodJayme LundenSarah LuzaderEric MagnusonMargaret MahoneyJohn MarshallKelly MartineauArthur MaslowFrances McCueLora-Ellen McKinneyLouise Kincaid and Art MendelDavid MendozaRichard MoorePeter MountfordRay MungerDaniel MurrayJane W NelsonLinda NorlanderChristine O’ConnorBrian OseranLisa L. OwensByron OxfordJana PanterMolly PeryerKatelyn PetersAlexsandra PhillipsLeslie PiersonVivian PollakChris Randall

Fran-Michelle ReichertMatthew ReichertDarby RingerMichael SandlerHeidi SchorDavid ShieldsLaurie ShieldsMichael ShillingLaura ShoemakerEmer Dooley and Rob ShortRichard SimonsonEd SkoogAnnie SmithKathleen SmithJohn SpeerMary StenroosRebecca StraboSusan SummersShweta SundararajanRick SwannWilliam SwegerFletcher TaylorMolly TenenbaumJim TeskoskiJulie TriminghamMarisol TrowbridgeSamantha Claire UpdegraveSusan UrbanTina Urso McDanielJudith WagonfeldLois WelchWinston WicombD.D. WigleyRichard WilkinsonArleen WilliamsTimothy WilliamsMike YoungAudrey ZekonisKatie ZeleskiJenny ZennerGlady Zwink

We are grateful to all the individual donors and partners who support our work; a full list is on our website at hugohouse.org/supporter-list

Board of Directors

Sean ClemmonsPresident

Dick CantwellVice President

Victoria MabusTreasurer

Janice BozziSecretary

Allison AugustynMindy DeYoung

Donte FelderDick GemperleLynn GrantDan GrauszTamara HendryJamilla JohnsonStacy LawsonMaggie Orth

Staff

Tree SwensonExecutive Director

Ana LesterBusiness & Operations

Richard ChiemFinance & Evaluation

Louise KincaidDevelopment

Peter MountfordEvents Curator

Christine TexeiraEducation & Programs

Molly WoolbrightMarketing & Communications

Juliann PetkovYouth Programs & Administration

Will SwegerMembership & Engagement

Steve HaugenAccountant