Margaret Seiler helps keep Portland Monthly clear, readable, and grammatically correct. She also writes about local politics, history, sports (from the Thorns to Tonya Harding), and her hobby of extreme transit. The native Kentuckian landed in Oregon after youth-hostelling her way around the continent (before cell phones!) and worked at Willamette Week and the Portland Tribune before joining Portland Monthly in 2010. She lives in North Portland with her brewer husband and their two children.

Shopping

Shops Worth the Drive

Bookstores at the beach, German groceries next to the world’s largest oyster, and kitchen finds in Eastern Oregon

12/21/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Shopping

Cigars to Light Bulbs, We Love These Portland Retail Classics

Some of the shops we’ve come to rely on, whether they’ve been around a decade or a century

12/20/2021 By Fiona McCann, Margaret Seiler, and Julia Silverman

Soccer

What Do NWSL Deals and Drafts Mean for the 2022 Thorns Roster?

The 2022 Challenge Cup starts March 19, but the Thorns will be without Simone Charley, Tyler Lussi, and Christen Westphal.

12/19/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

Timbers Fall in Penalty Shootout as New York CIty FC Wins MLS Cup

A last-seconds goal from Felipe Mora sends the game to extra time, but New York City FC wins on penalties.

12/11/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

What Happens When Your City Hosts the MLS Cup

From Morrison Bridge lights to custom Voodoo Doughnuts, it’s beginning to look a lot like Timbers all over Portland.

12/09/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Staycation

History on the Walls at Old Town’s Society Hotel

New artwork at the Society Hotel celebrates Old Town-Chinatown’s history.

12/09/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

Timbers in the MLS Final & Thorns Announce New Coach

It was a pretty good week in Portland soccer news.

12/07/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Light a Fire

How 4 Nonprofits Stepped Up in the Pandemic

Vaccine clinics, mental health hotlines, hot meals, business support—these groups got help to those who most needed it.

11/30/2021 By Julia Silverman and Margaret Seiler

Grocery Stores

Every Portland-Area Trader Joe’s, Ranked

Think every Trader Joe’s is the same? Yep, they are. And also, they’re not, from mascots to parking-lot masochism. We break it down.

11/19/2021 By Cami Hughes, Margaret Seiler, and Katherine Chew Hamilton

Baseball

Baseball's Portland Pickles Open a Team Store Downtown

Find pickle juice, game-worn jerseys, Dillon bobbleheads, and more at the Pickle Jar.

11/15/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Education

Enrollment at the State's Biggest School District Is Down 4.1 Percent

Kindergarten enrollment stays flat, and the majority at the PPS Online Learning Academy are students of color.

11/15/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

National Team Call-Ups and MVP Voting: Big Day for the Thorns

The team faces Chicago in the NWSL semifinal this weekend.

11/09/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Travel

Canada Calling: Our Guide to Adventures Up North

If you feel it's time to dust off your passport and cross borders again, why not start with the closest one?

10/07/2021 Edited by Margaret Seiler

Canada Travel

Bike or Ski the Slopes of Rossland, British Columbia

Try the West Kootenays for year-round, under-the-radar downhill action.

10/07/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Canada Travel

Beers and Beach Walks on Vancouver Island

New laws in the past decade have brought a lot of new breweries to British Columbia.

10/07/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Old Portland

That One Time Portland Was in ‘Sassy’ in 1991

A look back at the teen magazine travel feature with nods to Quality Pie, the Church of Elvis, and, of course, Sassy’s

09/29/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Labor

Thorns Players Join Nabisco Workers on Picket Line

Emily Menges, Bella Bixby, and others swap chants of ‘PTFC’ for ‘No contract, no snacks!’

09/14/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Airports

PDX Reclaims Title of Best US Airport

Take that, Indianapolis!

09/09/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Wine

10 Unmissable Portland Urban Wineries and Tasting Rooms

From garage chic to airy warehouses, Nordic notes to wacky earth-mother vibes, here are our favorites.

09/09/2021 Edited by Fiona McCann With Gabriel Granillo, Katherine Chew Hamilton, Marty Patail, Conner Reed, Margaret Seiler, and Julia Silverman

Politics

Why Doesn’t Oregon Have a Lieutenant Governor?

We’re one of only five states without the title, which some dismiss as a ‘fifth wheel’ or ‘appendix.’

08/24/2021 By Margaret Seiler