Cheap Wine (and beer) and Poetry at Hugo House

“”Cheap Wine and Poetry,” Seattle’s biggest, coolest, hippest reading series, occurs semi-regularly at Richard Hugo House, a co-sponsor of the series, and occasionally at other venues throughout Seattle and elsewhere. The series began in 2005 when a few writers and poetry lovers, wearied by the pretentious, expensive, and often dull readings in Seattle, decided to start something fun that everyone could enjoy.”

They aren’t kidding. This Thursday, January 28, 2010, four writers of note will take to the stage at Hugo House at 7 pm. Between them. Rory Douglas, Midge Raymond, Maria Semple and Matthew Simmons have covered writing novels, short stories, a column about mixed martial arts, novellas, blogs and television scripts. You can take a peek at who does what on the website, or you can just show up and be surprised. It’s a little like Christmas morning. With drinking. At night.

“Most nights, there are 4-5 featured readers, followed by an open mic, extending the drinking well into the evening. Audience members are welcomed to refill whenever necessary. “Cheap Wine and Poetry” isn’t a sit-in-your-seat-‘til-your-ass-approaches-rigamortis type of reading, and sometimes the crowd ends up as part of the show, shouting out answers to riddle poems, doing a call-and-response, or some other shenaniganry.”

Richard Hugo House is located at 1634 11th Avenue on Capitol Hill.