News and Travel Editor

Ramona joined the Portland Monthly team in late 2014 to contribute arts and culture coverage, generate annual research packages (Schools, Real Estate, Top Doctors), and head the magazine’s fact checking department. In 2016, she took on the magazine’s online and print travel coverage; in early 2019, she transitioned to the role of News and Travel Editor—responsible for the magazine’s front-of-book and travel departments.

Ramona was first recognized for her writing chops in 1990, when she won a seventh-grade essay contest. Asked to pick the nation’s most pressing issue, Ramona wisely chose inflation (rates promptly fell). She now mostly steers clear of economic forecasting, writing instead about politics, public lands, and travel adventures both luxe and low-brow.

Prior to Portland Monthly, Ramona wrote for a range of nonprofits, planned international events, and directed a venture capital association. She was raised in the Bay Area, Oklahoma, and Kansas, but has called Portland home since 2001. In 2017, Ramona received her MFA in Creative Writing-Nonfiction from Portland State University. Her graduate thesis subject? Fact-checking, of course.

FRESH IDEAS

CSB: Community Supported Bread

Laura Birshan's Bakester is setting out to change the way we eat our loaves.

08/29/2012 By Allison Jones

Market Watch

Top of the Pops

While it's still hot outside, put the chill in dessert.

08/27/2012 By Kristin Belz

City Scenes

Design With the Other 90 Percent

A new exhibit at Mercy Corps and the Museum of Contemporary Craft looks beyond our city borders to real urban problems—and solutions.

08/24/2012 By Kristin Belz

Feature

Tilting at Landfills

Fifth-generation farmer Ramsey McPhillips and a motley crew of neighbors wage a quixotic battle to stop North America’s largest garbage company from growing even bigger in the heart of Oregon's wine country.

08/23/2012 By Aaron Scott

Feature

Collective Memory

A new museum at the Oregon State Hospital takes visitors behind the walls and through the history of the enigmatic facility.

08/23/2012 By Emily Grosvenor

Feature

Red Sea

At Alaska’s wild Graveyard Point, a Portland family works to reinvent the salmon business.

08/23/2012 By Tim Sohn

Article

One-Sentence Stories

If brevity is the soul of wit, our one-sentence news nuggets belong in the Hilarity Hall of Fame.

08/23/2012 By Zach Dundas

Article

The Path to Indie Rock Glory

As MusicfestNW takes over the city, behold the 21 steps from garage band to glamour.

08/23/2012

Food Lover's Guide to Portland

The Food Lover's Guide to Seafood

Local culinary enthusiasts seeking outstanding oysters would do well to follow our expert explorers.

08/23/2012 By Benjamin Tepler With Camille Grigsby-Rocca

Food Lover's Guide to Portland

The Food Lover's Guide to Destination Markets

For these food impresarios, grocery shopping isn’t just business. It’s personal.

08/23/2012 By Karen Brooks With Benjamin Tepler

Food Lover's Guide to Portland

The Food Lover's Guide to Global Foods

Mexican cuisine is soaring in popularity. So where can we find the finest and freshest ingredients?

08/23/2012 By Karen Brooks

Fashion Framed

Meet Christine Taylor

Our Q & A series continues with fashion photographer Christine Taylor.

08/15/2012 By Eden Dawn

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Eat Beat’s News to Chew

Top food news stories from around Portland, including the opening of Xico on Division and Whey Bar, Ox Restaurant’s new booze-fueled waiting area.

08/14/2012 By Allison Jones

OPENING WEEK

Inside Adam Berger’s 24th & Meatballs

The meatball-only eatery debuts on NE Glisan, marking the first opening of the highly-anticipated micro-restaurant row The Ocean.

08/13/2012 By Allison Jones

Market Watch

Local Chickpeas? Yes, Please!

Chickpeas pop in popularity, and proliferate in the fields of our neighbors in the Palouse region of Eastern Oregon and Washington.

08/07/2012 By Kristin Belz

gallery grazing

First Thursday Sampler

08/02/2012 By Aaron Scott

Fashion Framed

AK Vintage Lookbook

See the photos of AK’s latest line.

08/01/2012 By Eden Dawn

MENU WATCH

Animal Kingdom

The Country Cat’s resident meat master Adam Sappington is unveiling a new "Animal of the Week" menu, complete with nose-to-tail dishes highli...

07/27/2012 By Allison Jones

FOOD AND DRINK EVENTS

Dog Day Afternoon (With Wine)

Canines Uncorked is bringing together the valley’s best dog-friendly wineries on July 28th for a day of local wine, food, and fun with your four-legged...

07/19/2012 By Allison Jones

Feature

Best New Bars 2012

Portland's newest wave of watering holes is redefining the local drinking culture all over again. Pull up a stool and learn about the places, drinks, and trends leading the way.

07/19/2012 Edited by Rachel Ritchie With Benjamin Tepler and Allison Jones