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.

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

Soccer

Portland Thorns' Bella Bixby Talks Home Teams and Representation

The team's most tenured keeper only made her Providence Park home debut this summer, but she's been around these parts, oh, a good quarter-century.

08/20/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Bars & Nightlife

3 Outdoor Pop-Up Bars to Try Before Summer Ends

Drink in a parking lot, a driveway, or a hop field.

08/20/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Eat This Now

11 Breakfast Sandwiches to Get You out of Bed

Start your day off with one of these delights between bread.

08/20/2021 By Katherine Chew Hamilton, Conner Reed, Julia Silverman, and Margaret Seiler

Sports

The Women’s International Champions Cup Aims to Crown the ‘World’s Best Club’

Some familiar faces are headed back to Providence Park when the Thorns host Houston, Bayern-Munich, and Lyon.

08/14/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Beer Festivals

PickleFest Brings Beer & Baseball Together

Do you feel summer slipping away? Maybe a doubleheader at a beer fest will help.

08/06/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Olympics

Already the GOAT, Christine Sinclair Wins Olympic Gold with Canada

The Portland Thorns captain and University of Portland legend wins gold with her home country.

08/06/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Outdoors

8 Ways to Go Camping If You Don’t Own a Tent

Where to rent camper vans, teardrop trailers, and more

08/06/2021 By Cami Hughes and Margaret Seiler