 Writing for The Columbian , Angela Allen commented that the first issue of the magazine " shows attitude and literary writing , tosses off lots of names , does a terrific fall culture calendar and digs into a couple of issues , including the Trail Blazers " , but was also critical , noting : " Its design is crowded and the type is too small to read for most of us without wearing a pair of ' reader ' specs . " Tom Boyer of The Seattle Times described the magazine as " a smart mix of reader @-@ friendly features and award @-@ winning journalism " . Writing in The Oregonian , Steve Duin commented that he appreciated the lists published in the magazine : " Because I 'm addicted to lists -- and the bigger the better -- the best part of my month is the morning that copy of Portland Monthly lands like a wounded halibut on my desk . " 
