‘Homage to Richard Hugo Night’ set for December 21st at Mac’s Triangle Pub

White Center’s legendary poet Richard Hugo will be honored at a special reading/open-microphone night next week at Mac’s Triangle Pub. Here’s the announcement we received:

Few writers have influenced Northwest literature as profoundly as poet Richard Hugo, who brought the region to life in his poetry and prose, including the White Center area where he was born and raised as well as rural Montana where he moved to become head of the University of Montana’s creative writing program. Other than Seattle’s Richard Hugo House, there hasn’t been much local celebration of his work, until now.

The Writer’s Workshop will celebrate his career with a “Homage to Richard Hugo Night” on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. at Mac’s Triangle Pub (9454 Delridge Way SW), where Hugo used to hang out. In addition to writing poetry and teaching, Hugo spent a lot of time in bars. The Triangle was one of them.

The reading will include an unveiling of a framed Richard Hugo photo to be placed on the wall of the tavern, followed by readings at 8 p.m. by Nicholas O’Connell, founder of www.thewritersworkshop.net, from On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature; White Center resident Jeff Smoot reading from his essay, “Finding Richard Hugo in White Center,” forthcoming from the online literary magazine www.thewritersworkshopreview.net; and other poems/ stories about White Center and/or Richard Hugo. After 9 p.m., the event will continue in an open-mic format where people can read their poems/ stories (hopefully on Hugo-esque themes) on into the night.

“I’d like to gather some people together to share Richard Hugo’s story, talk about his White Center roots, and read from some literary works about Hugo and his poems,” says Smoot. “Then open up the mic to anyone who wants to share a Hugo story, read a Hugo poem, or read any White Center-themed writing. I’m hoping this might become an annual event that preserves Hugo’s White Center legacy in some way.”

Hugo and other poets of the Northwest School sought to discover a place that resonated with them and allowed them to discover their own voice. Hugo referred to such a place as a “triggering subject,” a locale that fired a writer’s imagination.

“Hugo discovered his triggering subject in White Center,” says O’Connell. “Writing about it resulted in some of his first published poems and some of his best writing.”

If you’d like to read at the event, please contact Nicholas O’Connell (nick@thewritersworkshop.net). The Writer’s Workshop is an online and on-campus The Writer’s Workshop is an online and on-campus Seattle writing workshop, specializing in fiction, nonfiction and travel writing classes.


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