The Oregon Woman: Into Their Own Hands

Meet Judith Arcana, a Pioneer of '70s-Era Underground Abortion Work

Before Roe v. Wade, a group called Jane served Chicago women. Arcana, now a writer living in Portland, was part of that clandestine network.

04/24/2018 By Rebecca Jacobson

Politics

No Woman of Color Has Ever Served on Portland City Council. This Election Could Change That.

Meet the contenders in this historic race.

03/27/2018 By Beth Slovic Illustrations by Alice Mollon

Hunger in Oregon

What Happens When Portland Kids Go Hungry?

Oregon ranks 13th in the nation for food insecurity. So who feeds many local children? The schools.

02/27/2018 By Fiona McCann

Profile

How Aminé Became Portland Hip-Hop's Most Elusive Star

From the outside, it’s like he came out of nowhere. That’s intentional.

12/28/2017 By Casey Jarman

Profile

Tonya Harding Is Back—on the Ice, and on the Silver Screen

With I, Tonya hitting theaters as an unlikely shot at redemption, we spent a day with the champ. She landed some doubles, talked motherhood, and jump-started a Hyundai.

12/20/2017 By Margaret Seiler Photography by Holly Andres

Best of the Year

Portland Monthly’s Top Longreads of 2017

The Malheur takeover. How the Blazers won Portland. Grisly murders. The battle to be nonbinary. Jeff Merkley. Vegan cronuts. Here are 12 of our best in-depth stories from the past year.

12/18/2017 By Portland Monthly Staff

Unnatural Treasure

The Columbia River Gorge Burned. We Could Make That a Good Thing.

A manifesto for our beloved national landmark, after the flames.

11/20/2017 By Randy Gragg Illustrations by Amy Martin

Media

A Smart New Portland-Based Magazine Covers Travel for Women of Color

Backed by advertising giant Wieden & Kennedy, On She Goes already has a lot going on.

10/16/2017 By Rebecca Jacobson Illustrations by Lisk Feng

Kings of the North?

Why Your 'Wild Alaskan Salmon' May in Fact Be Very Oregonian

Caught wild in Alaskan waters, Oregon hatchery salmon help bring a struggling fishery back to health.

09/13/2017 By Chuck Thompson

Environment

Meet the Oregon Attorney Suing President Trump over Climate Change

Julia Olson's clients? The kids who will have to live through it.

08/14/2017 By Ciara O'Rourke

Profile

Portland Artist Arvie Smith Paints the Black Experience in Blazing Color

As he nears 80, Smith—easily one of the city's most technically skilled painters—confronts race with sardonic humor and fantastic beauty.

08/14/2017 By Rebecca Jacobson

Veggie Love: Vegan Victory

How the Vegans Conquered Portland

Our city is America’s meat-free Shangri-la, built one vegan cronut and jackfruit wrap at a time.

08/14/2017 By Tuck Woodstock

History

The Spirit of '77: How the Blazers Won Portland

Forty years ago, a basketball team and a city became one.

05/15/2017 By Casey Jarman Illustrations by Michael Byers

Profile

Jeff Merkley, the Unquiet American

The Oregon politician was a low-key liberal on the Senate’s back benches. Then came Trump.

04/05/2017 By Marty Patail Photography by Andy Batt

Dance

With Fresh Talent and Energy, Oregon Ballet Theatre Makes a Big Leap

OBT was all but pronounced dead near the start of the decade. Now, very much alive, it forges ahead into a bold, ambitious future.

02/20/2017 By Fiona McCann Illustrations by Nick Iluzada

Profile

Male? Female? Jamie Shupe Battles for a Third Option.

Portlander Jamie Shupe is the first person in the US to be legally recognized as nonbinary.

02/20/2017 By Tuck Woodstock

The Stand

A Year Ago, Armed Occupiers Seized a Wildlife Refuge in Harney County. This Oregonian Was Ready to Join.

When Kenneth Medenbach joined the Malheur takeover, he had years of experience battling the federal government.

01/23/2017 By Leah Sottile

Longreads

Portland Monthly's Top Longreads of 2016

A trailblazing AIDS researcher. The future of weed. A hidden gorge. The illegal wildlife trade. A radical theory about Portland's origin story. Here are 12 of our best in-depth stories from the past year.

12/22/2016 By Portland Monthly Staff

True Crime

Sandy. Burnside. Two Streets at the Heart of Portland’s East Side—and Three Grisly Murders That Reveal Their History

From Native American trail to car mall, the Burnside-Sandy axis has seen a crime-stained past.

12/20/2016 By Marty Patail

Culture Cheat Sheet: Essay

Portland’s Cultural Exports Might Never Take Over the World. Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing.

Almost famous is just fine by us.

11/14/2016 By Shawn Levy