Staff & Board

Born in the vibrant heart of Bangkok, Thailand, and now a Seattleite of over three decades, Nat is a poet at heart, having self-published her collection of poetry and prose, “365 Days of Grief,” a work that explores healing and grief through words.

With a B.A. in Art History from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma, Nat has spent the last decade working in the arts industry in Seattle’s nonprofit sector—most recently at Hugo House. Whether she’s curating spaces that celebrate storytelling or wandering museum halls, Nat is always at home where creativity and community intersect.

Beyond work, she’s a dedicated gamer who loses herself in epic RPGs and the strategic adventures of Gloomhaven. She’s an unapologetic fantasy novel lover, a tea enthusiast, and a summer-time renaissance faire adventurer. And of course, there are the cats, whether they’re painted in grand museum halls or curled up beside her as she reads, cats are her forever muse.

José Luis (Pepe) Montero is a technologist by trade and a bilingual writer by choice. Born and raised in México, he has spent most of his adulthood in Seattle, where his passion for storytelling has led him to explore various mediums—including radio, photography, and filmmaking—before focusing his artistic practice on the written word.

Besides holding a BS in Computer Science and an MBA, he also earned a Certificate in Literary Fiction from the University of Washington and Master’s degrees in Narrative and Poetry from Escuela de Escritores in Madrid. After returning from Spain, he interned at Copper Canyon Press and served as an assistant editor at Narrative Magazine before joining the Jack Straw Writers Program in 2021.

For several years, Pepe was president of the board for Seattle Escribe, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Spanish-language literature in Washington state, and he currently volunteers as board president for Seattle City of Literature, the organization that oversees Seattle’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature. He has been the Acting Executive Director of Hugo House since 2024.

Picture courtesy of Heather Malcolm.

Alia enjoys taking walks, going to museums, and perusing farmers markets on the weekends. If she’s not doing one of those things, you might find her playing ultimate frisbee. Her Chinese Zodiac is the wood rabbit, which means that she loves all things bunny themed. She recently discovered that her new favorite flower is the Snapdragon, but she also loves violets because it reminds her of her grandmother. Alia is very passionate about Avatar the Last Airbender and the movie Spirited Away. If you see her running around Hugo House please say hello!

The library will always be Amy Lin’s first and best love—sorry, lovers! She has over sixteen years’ experience in small business with a focus on solution innovation. Her work at Hugo House is rooted in a three-fold philosophy: one, that writing is a useful skill to have in an age of constant engagement with written communication; two, that all forms of writing provide immense benefits to the writer; and three, that words effect change in the world around us so it’s worth learning to use them well. Writing is for everyone! Amy enjoys a wide range of interests thanks to being a third-culture kid with ADHD; she’s currently jamming on investing, futurism, emerging technology, self-improvement, interspecies communication, and design thinking. She aspires to be the spiritual love child of Killing Eve’s Villanelle and Silicon Valley’s Jared Dunn and a Bodhisattva to all creatives. Digital makeup by @ines.alpha.

Aubrey Unemori is a writer, editor, and aspiring coffee connoisseur. She holds a BA in English with creative writing emphasis from the University of Washington and is the co-author of children’s book, Mindful Mansi, which promotes mental wellness and emotional regulation in younger children. Before joining the Hugo House team in December 2021, she interned at local publisher Chin Music Press and was a prose editor with Bricolage Literary and Visual Arts Journal. When she’s not drinking coffee or writing, Aubrey can usually be found reading, drawing, or playing online games with friends.

Originally from Southern California, Jessica graduated from Humboldt State (now Cal Poly Humboldt) with a BA in English and moved to Seattle just a few years ago. Before joining Hugo House, she worked as a marketer at a software startup, but she’s always been drawn to writing as a way of connecting—with ideas, with stories, and with others.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys writing, watching horror movies (especially found footage), and getting deeply immersed in tabletop RPGs. She’s an enthusiastic game master & player for systems like Mothership, Alien, and Dungeons & Dragons 5e, and loves building strange new worlds for friends to explore.

If you see her around the House, feel free to say hi—especially if you have a spooky film recommendation or a good dice-rolling story.