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 has served previously on the executive committee of the Edmonton Astrological Society and as co-lead of OPA’s Canadian satellite.

Coming soon to a blog near you: Edmonton theatre coverage!

I’m excited to announce that I’m going to start covering local theatre again! After this year’s Fringe, I realized that I really missed writing about Edmonton’s excellent theatre scene. I left Vue in 2016 and […]


Mel on I Don’t Get It podcast

If you’re looking for a great debrief on the recently concluded Edmonton Fringe, head over to the I Don’t Get It podcast. I joined a panel of my fellow Beer Tent Reviewers for a lively […]


Beer Tent Reviews at the 2019 Edmonton Fringe: Q & A with co-founder Andrew Paul

Rushing in to fill the void left by the departure of alt-weeklies, the Beer Tent Reviews (BTR) zine just landed at the 2019 Edmonton Fringe. The zine is print-only and the reviews are words-only – […]


Food and drink pairings at the 2019 Edmonton Fringe

Finding the best food and drink pairings at the Fringe is a finely honed skill that I’ve developed over the past 12 years of spending way too much time on the Fringe grounds during marathon […]


Check Me Out: Edmonton Fringe 2019 review

At turns funny, clever and heartfelt, Check Me Out delves into a quartet of women’s lives and relationships as they unfold in the alley behind Pennywise Family Grocery. The four characters are vividly different from […]


Gender? I Hardly Know Them: Edmonton Fringe 2019 review

“Gender is dead; welcome to the funeral.” So declare performers Elena Eli Belyea and Sydney Campbell at the outset of their raucously witty sketch comedy show. The duo are practiced comedians and present a barrage […]


You Belong Here: Edmonton Fringe 2019 review

Fans of Brooklyn-based Martin Dockery will not be disappointed with his entry at this year’s Fringe. You Belong Here follows suit with Dockery’s signature brand of storytelling: rambling and digressive, delving into the humour of […]


Niuboi x Earth: Edmonton Fringe 2019 review

“Queer alien space cabaret” is as apt a description as any for this zany little show featuring Niuboi (Julie Ferguson), a trans non-binary alien who has come from space “to save the world from a […]


The Birthday Party: Edmonton Fringe 2019 review

Harold Pinter’s 1958 absurdist classic is a play that you should see at least once, if for no other reason than its seminal importance in the history of drama – not to mention in Pinter’s […]


Edmonton Fringe 2019: opening night and review of Eusha

This is my 12th year reviewing Fringe shows and I’ve got a well-rehearsed opening night routine. I head to the Fringe grounds (via ETS – seriously just don’t try to drive to the Fringe) a […]


A Fringe without stars (or reviews)

There was a brief period of time, right after I left Vue Weekly, when I thought maybe I wouldn’t review any more Fringe shows. That didn’t last long. I left Vue in July 2016; a […]


What does honey from a Flow Hive taste like?

I recently tasted some honey from a local Edmonton beekeeper using a Flow Hive. If you’re not familiar, the Flow Hive is a new type of beehive design that started making the rounds on social […]