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| Shahina Piyarali | |
Shahina Piyarali, who writes reviews for Shelf Awareness as well as a regular column and conducts author interviews (Megha Majumdar, Tahmima Anam and Ayad Akhtar, among others) has been elected president of Hugo House, the organization that promotes writing and reading in Seattle, Wash.
A former attorney, leader in the Seattle literary arts community, and an expatriate from Pakistan, Piyarali is, Hugo House said, "passionate about promoting South Asian art and culture and has been a key member of the Hugo House board for the last several years."
From 2018 to 2021, Piyarali was the board president of Tasveer, a local social justice and arts organization and is currently the co-chair of the National Council of Graywolf Press and a board member of Daarna, a Seattle nonprofit working to empower refugee communities.
"I am excited to guide the strategic growth of Hugo House as we expand its offerings to reach diverse communities across Greater Seattle and add more enrichment programming for young writers," Piyarali said. "Hugo House is a literary beacon in our beautiful city, and I am honored to play a part in its growth."
"This is an exciting time for Hugo House, a moment of outreach and growth, and I believe that Shahina--with her keen leadership skills and passion for writing--is the ideal leader for this next phase," interim executive director Rob Arnold said. "And I'm personally delighted that, for the first time in its history, Hugo House is entirely BIPOC-led."