About
Mel Hattie is a multi-disciplinary artist and tea expert based in the Maritimes. Her work is drawn to questions of existentialism and our relationships with the world, our identities, and each other. Her cozy, minimalist style feels like an intimate and timeless travelogue.
Her photography and film work has been published by CBC News, CBC Gem, the Coast, the Guardian, Post and Courier, Roads and Kingdoms, and Photographers Without Borders, among other publications. She has made thousands of heirloom photographs for many private clients.
Mel’s fiction writing is supported by the NS Talent Trust; she is an alum of the Banff Centre Writer’s Retreat program. She’s also known for her non-fiction writing about tea and tea culture.
Specs
Press
2022 - “9 teas experts wish more people knew about.” Food Network.
2021 - “The 44 best gifts for tea lovers, according to tea sommeliers.” NY Mag.
2020 - “Everything you need to know about tea, explained.” Thrillist.
2019 - “Dartmouth tea sommelier Mel Hattie pours a cup...” Chronicle Herald.
2019 - “Mel Hattie on the business of freelance writing, tea, and travel.” Wordable.
2018 - "Today I Return to My Homeland, Episode 1.” Tokyo Broadcasting. Watch the video here.
2018 - “Take these steps when you feel burned out and want to start over.” Fast Company.
2018 - “We talk tea, travel and Tokyo with Mel Had Tea blogger, Mel Hattie.” Finder.
2017 - "Hattie's journalism venture: tea and travel.” University of King's College.
Awards and Honours
2023 - Third place, “The Place We Can Never Get Back To.” Margó Takacs Marshall Prize for Excellence in Short Story Writing.
2022 - Official Selection, “The Mi’kmaq Honour Song Translation Project.” Atlantic International Film Festival.
2022 - Grant Recipient, “Literary Prose.” NS Talent Trust.
2022 - Cohort, “Winter Writers Retreat 2022.” Banff Centre for the Arts.
2021 - Second Place, Advanced Category, “The Power of Photographs to Build a Better Future.” 23rd Atlantic Canada Japanese Speech Contest.
2019 - Finalist, Best Tea Blog, “Mel Had Tea,” World Tea Expo. Las Vegas, NV.
2018 - Speaker, "Photo.Poem Workshop” with Project 1948, UN Women CSW62. New York, NY.
2017 - Winner, “Journalism Innovation Prize,” University of King’s College. Halifax, NS.
2016 - Gold, Audio Storytelling “The Fight for PTSD Service Dogs.” Emerge Media Awards. Toronto, ON.
2013 - Bronze, Spot News Category, “College Photographer of the Year,” Mizzou. Columbia, MO.
