Associate Editor

Ramona joined the Portland Monthly team in late 2014 to generate annual research packages like Top Doctors, Schools, and Real Estate; as well as head the magazine's fact checking 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 crazy kayakers, chef-activists, coastal adventures, and Central Oregon hotshots.

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.

Education

Private Schools in Portland, by the Numbers

From Montessori to language immersion to faith-based curriculum, local private schools enroll thousands of kids. Here's a snapshot of the metro area's specialized education options.

02/27/2018 Edited by Ramona DeNies

Global Comfort Food

We Asked 20 Portland Chefs and Foodies: What Tastes Like Home?

From hearty Haitian soups to pupusas, here's what makes these locals feel safe and loved—and where to score these touchstone eats.

02/27/2018 Edited by Kelly Clarke By Karen Brooks, Ramona DeNies, Zach Dundas, Rebecca Jacobson, Pechluck Laskey, Fiona McCann, Benjamin Tepler, and Molly Woodstock

Field Notes

Go Hike This Ancient Gresham Volcano

Red-hot Hogan Butte once helped shape the Gorge. Now it's a tranquil nature park.

02/27/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Science

Off the Oregon Coast, Blue Whales Are Singing Deeper

But why?

02/27/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Opera

With David Adam Moore's Winterreise, Portland Opera Aims to Break Your Heart

Schubert probably didn't imagine his love-stricken final masterpiece rendered in floor-to-ceiling 3D projection mapping.

02/07/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Date Night PDX

25 Great Dates in and around Portland

Romantic evenings, chill times with a pal, roving parties, and trips for two: plan your next outing or overnight here.

01/30/2018 Edited by Eden Dawn By Hannah Bonnie, Kelly Clarke, Ramona DeNies, Zach Dundas, Rebecca Jacobson, Fiona McCann, Marty Patail, Anya Rehon, Margaret Seiler, Benjamin Tepler, and Eleanor Van Buren

Cannabis: Back to School

Sativa Science Club Builds an Ambitious Education Program for Budtenders

The Portland-based effort trains cannabis retailers in botany, taxonomy, and even etiquette—and it hopes to go national.

01/30/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Travel

Tour the High Desert (Wink, Wink) on Bend's Inhale Trail

Central Oregon gets savvy on cannabis tourism.

01/30/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Food Events

You Can Help Puerto Rico by Eating at This Lechonera Pop-Up

Portland restaurateur Andy Diaz lost his grandmother in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Now he's raising funds to make sure the hospice house where she died never loses power again.

01/29/2018 By Ramona DeNies