Staff & Board

José Luis Montero is a technologist by trade and a bilingual writer by choice. Born and raised in México but having spent most of his adulthood in Seattle, his passion for storytelling transcends any medium, leading him to explore radio, photography, and filmmaking before directing his artistic focus to the written word. In addition to holding a BS in computer science and an MBA, he earned a certificate in Literary Fiction from the University of Washington and a Masters 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 for Narrative Magazine before joining the Jack Straw Writers Program in 2021. He was president of the board for Seattle Escribe, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Spanish literature, and he currently serves as co-president for the board of Seattle City of Literature, the nonprofit that manages Seattle’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature.

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.