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Teachers

Meet Our Teachers

Hugo House teachers are at the core of our goal to help writers become better writers. Our teachers are writers; they are selected on the basis of their active engagement in the literary world as well as their love of teaching.

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    Jessica Laser

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    Dorothea Lasky

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    David Lasky

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    Jamie Lau

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    Dorianne Laux

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    Reid Lauzon

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    Ali Laventhol

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    Keegan Lawler

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    Shayla Lawson

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    Sonya Lea

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    Sharon Leach

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    Courtney LeBlanc

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    Kate Lebo

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    Janice Lee

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    Min Jin Lee

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    Kimberly Lee

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    Joan Leegant

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    Mark Leidner

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    Jill Leininger

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    Margot Leitman

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    Eric Lemay

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    Noah Lemelson

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    Robert Lennon

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    Ben Lerner

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Jessica Laser

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Dorothea Lasky

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David Lasky

Pronouns: He/him

David Lasky is the co-author of the Eisner-Award-winning graphic novel, Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, but he is better known to children as the guy who colored Cece Bell’s awesome graphic novel, El Deafo, a Newbery Honor Book. David is currently at work on a graphic novel that will focus on the historic Georgetown Steam Plant, commissioned by Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and City Light. He teaches comics at numerous venues in the Seattle area, including Richard Hugo House and Coyote Central.

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Jamie Lau

Pronouns: she/her
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Dorianne Laux

Pulitzer Prize finalist Dorianne Laux’s most recent collection is Only As The Day Is Long: New and Selected, W.W. Norton. She is also author of The Book of Men, winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize and Facts about the Moon, winner of the Oregon Book Award. She recently published a limited edition chapbook, SALT, from The Field Office Press. Laux teaches poetry at North Carolina State and Pacific University. In 2020, she was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

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Reid Lauzon

REID LAUZON (they/them) is currently a Junior studying Creative Writing at the University of Washington. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, they now consider Seattle home. They are passionate about minimalist fiction and contemporary poetry. They received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Seattle Colleges League for Innovations Student Literary Contest, Poetry division. In their spare time, they are a full-time cat parent, crow feeder, and an occasional fire spinner.

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Ali Laventhol

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Keegan Lawler

Pronouns: he/him
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Shayla Lawson

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Sonya Lea

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Sharon Leach

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Courtney LeBlanc

Courtney LeBlanc is the author of the full-length collections Her Whole Bright Life (winner of the Jack McCarthy Book Prize, Write Bloody, 2023), Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart (Riot in Your Throat, 2021) and Beautiful & Full of Monsters (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2020). She is a Virginia Center for Creative Arts fellow (2022) and the founder and editor-in-chief of Riot in Your Throat, an independent poetry press. She loves nail polish, tattoos, and a soy latte each morning. Read her publications on her blog: www.wordperv.com. Follow her on twitter: @wordperv, and IG: @wordperv79. 

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Kate Lebo

Pronouns: she/her

Kate Lebo’s writing is anthologized in Best American Essays 2015 and her first collection of nonfiction, The Book of Difficult Fruit, was published by FSG in Spring 2021. She’s the author of Pie School and co-editor (with Samuel Ligon) of Pie & Whiskey.

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Janice Lee

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Min Jin Lee

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Kimberly Lee

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kimberly Lee, JD, is the author of the gripping thriller, Have You Seen Him. A versatile writer, workshop facilitator, editor, and creativity coach, she has a passion for nurturing the imaginative spirit and helping others reveal their own inner wisdom. Kimberly left the practice of law some years ago to focus on motherhood, community work, and creative pursuits. A graduate of Stanford University and UC Davis School of Law, she is an Amherst Writers & Artists facilitator and holds additional certifications from Guided Autobiography, The Center for Journal Therapy, The Center for Intentional Creativity, The Path Meditation, and SoulCollage®. She has led workshops at numerous retreats, conferences, and nonprofit and corporate venues. A former editor and regular contributor at Literary Mama, Kimberly has also served on the staffs of Carve and F(r)iction magazines. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications and anthologies including Minerva Rising, LA Parent, Words and Whispers, Toyon, The Ekphrastic Review, Writers Read, I Am Woman: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America, the Better Sleep app, and elsewhere. Kimberly trusts in the magic and mystery of miracles and synchronicity, and believes that everyone is creative and has unique gifts to share. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. Connect with Kimberly at KimberlyLee.me.

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Joan Leegant

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Mark Leidner

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Jill Leininger

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Margot Leitman

Pronouns: she/her

Margot Leitman is an award-winning storyteller, best-selling author, speaker and teacher. A former story scout for "This American Life," she is considered a leading expert in the growing field of storytelling. Leitman has written two books on the subject: the best-selling, Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need and her latest What’s Your Story? A Workbook For the Storyteller in All of Us both from Sasquatch Books. Her comedic memoir, Gawky: Tales of an Extra Long Awkward Phase is available from Seal Press/Perseus Books

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Eric Lemay

Pronouns: They/He

Eric LeMay has taught writing at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. He is currently on the faculty of the writing program at Ohio University, his alma mater. He is also a host on the New Books Network. He is the author of five books, most recently Remember Me. His poetry and prose have appeared in The Paris Review, DIAGRAM, Salon, Poetry Daily, the Best Food Writing series, and other venues. He lives in Athens, Ohio, with fellow writer, Kristin LeMay, and their son.

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Noah Lemelson

Pronouns: he/him

Noah Lemelson is a speculative fiction writer based in Los Angeles. His short stories have appeared in Planet Scumm, Allegory, and Interzone among others. His debut dieselpunk novel, The Sightless City, was released in 2021. Find more at Noahlemelson.com

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Robert Lennon

Robert Lennon is the author of Familiar, Broken River, Subdivision, and other novels, and the story collections Pieces for the Left Hand, See You in Paradise, and Let Me Think. He teaches creative writing at Cornell University.

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Ben Lerner