Hugo House Event Curator Peter Mountford just dropped some big news down the Friday-afternoon news-hole:

I’ll be leaving my post as @HugoHouse’s events curator in a couple months, and we’re hiring a replacement (it’s a national search if you’re interested in moving to Seattle). It’s an awesome opportunity, and I love Hugo House, but I gotta write more https://t.co/T9upg6npkz

— Peter Mountford (@PeterMountford) February 2, 2018

Hopefully, we'll be able to do an interview soon with Mountford to discuss his tenure and what he's working on next. But for now, let's focus on the job opening: this is a very important role. If it's going to draw in audiences and serve as a community literary center, Hugo House has to represent a very fine balance of local and national authors. Their Literary Series combines big-name writers from all over the world with local talents, and their Craft Talk series featuring popular authors talking about writing (an upcoming one features Ruth Ozeki, for instance) draws the kind of huge crowds that help pay the bills.

Many years ago, back when the House was under different management, that balance tipped too far in the direction of national acts, and it left the House feeling aloof and disconnected from the scene. (Not to mention the fact that some of those national acts were very expensive and the House wound up in dire financial straits for a while.) It took years of good event planning to make the House feel interwoven with the community again.

So. Is this you? Do you think you can present a series of unique and exciting literary events that represent the hinge where Seattle meets the world? If so, apply now!