Francheska Melendez
Writer
Born and raised in Manhattan. Based in Madrid.
I write travel, culture, and business stories throughout the Iberian peninsula and further afield.
“Wandering the lanes of Penang’s capital George Town, past colourful façades, is like strolling through the seams of a patchwork quilt with differing textures and styles. Thanks to its location on the Malacca Strait, now a busy modern trade route and once part of the Maritime Silk Road, Malaysia has long been a crucible of ideas, cuisines and architectural typologies.”
“Wild and windswept, Galicia’s landscapes are steeped in Celtic history, relating a story of Spain that reads rather differently from the more-often told Mediterranean tale. A wander along the footpaths that snake atop 600-metre-high sea cliffs facing the Atlantic, among prickly heather and mossy rocks, offers a literal and figurative breath of fresh air.”
“Andalusia’s aerospace industry presents fascinating contrasts, with tradition and innovation combining to sparkling effect. For major players with staying power and forward- thinking spirits alike, it seems that there are nothing but clear skies ahead.”
“Flanked by dry stone walls and fields, we bounce down a narrow dirt track in our four-wheel drive and make our way to Menorca’s Barranc d’Algendar. Sandstone cliffs loom 50 metres above us, their off-white and ochre faces marked by wind and water over thousands of years.”
“In a flash, Romario Arekepoeng leaps fully clothed and feetfirst into the river from the front of the canoe. Waist-deep in the clear, rushing water, he leverages himself against a semi-submerged rock to push the boat through a river rapid before pulling himself back on board with acrobatic flourish.”
“Ten minutes after the museum opened its doors on Wednesday, a crowd of about a dozen people gathered in front of “Guernica.” Many of them stood close to the painting before shifting away for a different perspective.”
“Hovering just off the toe of the boot that is mainland Italy, Sicily is an island of many identities. Over millennia, it has been a draw for conquering armies: the Phoenicians, Romans, Normans, Byzantines and Vikings are but a few of the forces that claimed this strategic Mediterranean prize.”
“In the bright, early morning sun, Monocle drives down one of Rabat’s broad, palm-lined avenues among the embassies and villas of the city’s Souissi neighbourhood. Guiding the way is the architectural team behind the city’s newly finished, modernist-inspired Jacques Chirac School.”
“Sunlight streams onto the workshop floor as Salvador Escrivá kneels at the edge of an unfinished mosaic. He slides an ivory-coloured stoneware tile smoothly across the black terrazzo that is his canvas and the tessera settles into place with a soft clink. Another piece follows, then another.”
Scriptwriting and Voiceover
Developed script and audio package to accompany my written reporting for Patek Philippe Magazine.
Amuleto
Here Press, 2020
Francheska Melendez & Ben Roberts
Amuleto is a conversation between image and text that draws parallels between pandemic, immigrant experience, and the global human rights movement. Francheska assembled the book’s text using her thoughts and memories along with fragments of others’ voices. Ben made the photos in Amuleto during walks through an area bordering Madrid’s Guadarrama Mountains.
