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.

Q&A

Joel Palmer House’s Pandemic Pivots

For the famed wine country restaurant, the state shutdown came during the slowest season.

10/03/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Q&A

How a Wine Country Wedding Venue Met the Pandemic

At Abbey Road Farm, shrunken guest lists and social distancing cannot stop true love.

10/03/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Local Libations

Here Are the Wines and Wine Shops Keeping Us Saturated in These Trying Times

Raise a glass to the bottle shops, tasting rooms, and corner stores, with everything from hot new discoveries to “easy drinkers that can ease our reality.”

10/03/2020 By Margaret Seiler, Julia Silverman, and Conner Reed

Politics

Here's What You Need to Know About Portland's Upcoming Election

Got questions about voting in Oregon? We've got answers.

10/01/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

Portland Thorns Defeat Utah Royals 3–0 in NWSL Fall Series

After a game was postponed due to wildfire smoke, the team played at Providence Park for the first time in 2020, under a blue sky.

09/21/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Air Quality

What’s Canceled, Closed, Postponed, or in Limbo Due to the Oregon Wildfires?

The city itself isn’t burning, but smoke in the air is affecting everything from outdoor movies to dining to sports.

09/10/2020 By Portland Monthly Staff

Soccer

Portland Thorns Star Tobin Heath Signs with Manchester United

The beloved longtime Thorn and US national team midfielder is hopping across the pond.

09/09/2020 By Margaret Seiler

History

Sad, Bad Times: A Look at the Darker Side of Portland’s Past

Not everything in the Rose City has been rosy.

09/06/2020 By Sam Pape

Tale of the Tots

The 8 Stages of McMenamins

When it comes to Portlanders’ relationship with the brewpub-theater-hotel chain, well, it’s complicated.

09/04/2020 Illustrations by Hawk Krall By Margaret Seiler

Cool for the Summer

A Volunteer-Built ‘Summer Park’ Sprouts in St. Johns

Hay bales, a movie screen, and a silent disco transform a gravel patch while it waits in construction limbo.

08/15/2020 By Margaret Seiler

#VanLife

Rentable Camper Vans and RVs Pick Up New Fans in the Pandemic

Their usual international clients can’t get here, but rental companies are seeing plenty of interest from locals.

08/13/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Politics

Dan Ryan Elected to Portland City Council, Defeating Loretta Smith in Runoff

Unlike Tuesday’s other big winners (Dame, the Timbers, Maya Rudolph), he had to wait a night to confirm the results.

08/12/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Soccer

Portland Timbers Face Orlando FC in Bubble Tournament Final

And after MLS is Back ends, the MLS is, um, back.

08/11/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Coronavirus

Six Months Later: A Quick Look at Coronavirus in Oregon

It's been six months since the first Oregonian tested positive for COVID-19. A lot can happen in half a year.

08/07/2020 By Gabriel Granillo and Margaret Seiler

Election 2020

Forgot about the Election? Catch Up on Candidate Forums with Loretta Smith and Dan Ryan.

Wash your hands, wear a mask, and get that Portland City Council ballot in by August 11.

08/06/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Little Joys of Summer

Walk This Way toward Your Own Personal Portland Scavenger Hunt

Neighborhood walks aren't canceled this year, so add these spots to your route and explore the city.

08/01/2020 By Margaret Seiler Photography by Mike Novak

Trailer Lark

Social Distancing Was Already a Selling Point for Getaway House

Units come with everything you need to get away and stay away. But pro tip: BYO coffeemaker.

08/01/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Portland Protest History

Remembering the #ShellNo Protest 5 Years Later

Activists dangled from the St. Johns Bridge to put themselves in the way of an Arctic-bound oil drilling support vessel.

07/31/2020 By Steve Nichols

How We’re Coping

Masks. Distancing. How Does a Facepainter Meet a Pandemic?

With outdoor events canceled and birthday parties feeling too risky, Mystique’s Fancy Faces owner Celese Williams is sharing her craft online.

07/31/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Top Doctors, Nurses & More

Portland Monthly’s Annual Medical Provider Surveys Are Open till August 31

MDs, PAs, RNs, DPMs, DOs, NDs, PTs, LMTs, LCSWs, CMHCs, LAcs, and other providers can nominate their peers!

07/29/2020 By Margaret Seiler