Author: Mel Priestley
Mel Priestley is a consulting astrologer and writer based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has been studying astrology for many years and completed the Fundamentals of Natal Astrology Certificate at Kepler College in 2021. She has been a professional freelance writer for over 15 years and has written extensively about wine, food, theatre and now, astrology. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Edmonton Astrological Society and is also co-lead of OPA’s Canadian satellite.
Wine review: stinky Portuguese red from Luis Pato in Bairrada
Luís Pato – or “The Duck Guy” as I’ve come to think of him – is a solid Portuguese producer from Bairrada. He has been on the forefront of championing Portugal’s native grapes, like Baga, […]
Edmonton wine lists in the COVID era
My latest wine story in the newly-minted Edify Magazine talks about the changes that local restaurants are making in light of the massive disruption caused by the COVID-19 lockdown/shutdown and subsequent restrictive re-opening. Scroll down […]
Local Edmonton food incubators: story in Edify
One of my recent stories was just published on the newly-launched Edify website. It’s a piece about local food incubators/collectives, featuring interviews with Kirsta Franke of The Public and Chris Lerohl of Uproot Food Collective. […]
2020 garden update: pond, pot and potatoes
Over the seven years that we’ve lived in our current home, we’ve transformed the backyard into a robust urban garden. We moved here in August 2013 and left things as they were for the first […]
Resuming life
I tried to write this post dozens of times over the last few months. The farthest I got was a couple of stream-of-consciousness notes on my phone, thumb-tapped out when the mood struck. Nothing complete […]
Cancelling life
I’m sharing in the collective upwelling of grief in Edmonton this morning with the news that the 2020 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival has been cancelled. The news was not surprising – after the Edinburgh […]
My bubbly is red: Lambrusco wine story in Avenue
I remember the first time I tried bubbly red wine: I was super weirded out. It was a sparkling Australian Shiraz and while I can’t remember the producer (this was over 15 years ago), I […]
Techno-dystopia: a review of Bustle & Beast’s Girl in the Machine
Indie theatre company Bustle & Beast takes a deep dive into dystopian fiction, à la Black Mirror, in Girl in the Machine – now playing at the Zeidler Dome in the TELUS World of Science […]
Edmonton Theatre Listings – March 2020
Dystopian cyberpunk, eco-thrillers, human connection and loss: March is going to be a heavy month in Edmonton theatre. But, hey – these are perfect themes for these literally dystopic times. As You Like It, Citadel […]
Farewell, Ghost Light
Effective immediately, I’m no longer doing the Ghost Light podcast. I will still do theatre coverage on my blog, mainly reviews, and perhaps the occasional preview or interview. I might also write about non-theatre subjects […]
Getting happy with Plain Jane Theatre
(This week’s interview features Kate Ryan, director of Plain Jane Theatre, talking about the company’s upcoming musical revue and 10-year anniversary celebration, Get Happy! Scroll down to listen to the show; the interview starts around […]
Consumed by Wihtiko: a review of Pawâkan Macbeth
Infusing Shakespeare with Cree cosmology is an intriguing theatrical exercise at play in Pawâkan Macbeth – A Cree Takeover, which just had a short run in the Chinook Series at Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival. This […]
