Pop Culture Deep Dive

2021 Was the Year of Millennial Ambivalence

What ‘Solar Power’ and ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ taught me about processing the mess of 2021

12/31/2021 By Conner Reed

Pop Culture Deep Dive

Every Movie Should Be Like Spencer

Pablo Larraín’s transcendent, ridiculous Princess Diana melodrama harnesses the specific power of cinema like few films attempt.

11/12/2021 By Conner Reed

Op Ed

Why Are We Surprised by the Women's Soccer Allegations?

The allegations about a former Portland Thorns coach has sent ripples through the league. But what did we expect?

10/05/2021 By Katelyn Best

Coffee

I Can’t Stop Thinking About the Dutch Bros. Guy’s Rage Against the Machine T-Shirt

Which machine are you raging against, brother? Starbucks?

09/17/2021 By Conner Reed

Film

35 Years Later, Stand by Me Is Still the Ultimate Oregon Movie

Rob Reiner’s classic Stephen King adaptation remains the peak of Beaver State cinema, even in 2021.

08/23/2021 By Conner Reed

Essay

The Umpqua Bank on Alberta Is My Favorite Piece of Surrealist Art

Kafka could simply never.

08/17/2021 By Conner Reed

Essay

A Thank You to Portland’s Fashion Scene

Today is my last day as style editor of Portland Monthly after 11 years. Let's walk down memory lane together and check out the hits.

05/07/2021 By Eden Dawn

Essay

Across Three Seasons, Shrill Quietly Revolutionized the Portrayal of Fat Women on Television

The show's success with critics and audiences paves the way for more shows that celebrate fat bodies instead of pathologizing or pitying them.

05/07/2021 By Amy McCarthy Illustrations by Gillian Dreher

Essay

Teen Luz Zamora Grapples with What It Means to Become an Oregon Woman

"I’m a Latina. I’m an Oregonian. I’m an American. And I’m confused about what that all means. "

03/27/2021 By Luz Zamora

Essay

Why Josie and the Pussycats Still Works 20 Years Later

The 2001 box office bomb has become a cult classic. Its respect for the aspiring pop stars at its center might be why.

03/02/2021 By Conner Reed

Editor's Note

From the Editor: Some Like It Hot

Enjoying winter … while we can.

12/22/2020 By Marty Patail

Wellness

How Cannabis Helps Me Get Through 2020

The relationship between cannabis and mental health is complicated, but it’s helped me survive this year in ways it never has before.

12/06/2020 By Jenni Moore

Riding the Rails

Pandemic Travel: A Cross-Country Train Trip from Portland

Taking a ride on Amtrak’s Empire Builder … at the end of empire

12/01/2020 By Steffen Silvis

Essay

Watching My Home State Burn

For those of us who love Oregon, this is a time of grief.

09/15/2020 By Eden Dawn

Viewpoint

Are Drive-In Movies Really Here to Save Us?

Drive-ins are the name of the moviegoing game right now. But can anything replace the shoulder-to-shoulder experience of a sold out screening at the Hollywood?

09/04/2020 By Conner Reed

Essay

Federal Officers and Portland Police Are Working from the Same Playbook

I’ve documented the Portland protests for 50-plus nights. The feds’ tactics are nothing new.

07/23/2020 By Tuck Woodstock

Essay

Can White Portland's Fragility Handle a Megaquake?

Nope. But here we are anyway.

06/16/2020 By Tiara Darnell

Essay

Fight for Your Rights

Award-winning writer and Portland native Mitchell S. Jackson reflects on the sneaky power of protest.

06/10/2020 By Mitchell S. Jackson

Jazz Fest

Thundercat Was at Home Among Jazz Fans at His PDX Jazz Fest Set

The bassist set aside the hits and played dazzling solos for a rapt crowd at Portland Art Museum last Saturday.

03/06/2020 By Daniel Bromfield

The Long View

How Oregon’s Racist History Can Sharpen Our Sense of Justice Right Now

Writer Walidah Imarisha on eight years of talking about the brutal history of race in Oregon.

02/25/2020 By Walidah Imarisha