Photo by Robert Alexander Smith, 2018.
Published work
Matilda is a freelance journalist and cultural critic. She has written across a wide range of print and online publications in Australia. Some of her favourite recent work is available below:
For MEANJIN:
Bodies of Light and the Opera of Trauma Writing
Months before the release of Melbourne author Jennifer Down’s third book, Bodies of Light, the local literary scene was baited with breathless assessments of the book’s impact . . .
For NEWS.COM.AU:
‘That’s impossible’: ‘Lie’ at heart of romance films
THERE’S a huge flaw with pretty much every rom-com you have seen. Which is why these Kiwis decided to make something completely different . . .
For VICE:
Timothée Chalamet Had an Incredible 2017
The 'Call Me by Your Name' star on how fortunate he is to be acting at such a young age . . .
You can also find a full list of Matilda's published work below, catalogued by publication.
+ Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Anglican schools' exclusion letter is at odds with the values we were taught in class (5 Nov 18) Read here
University sexual assault guidelines are a small step forward but too little, too late (21 Jul 18) Read here
Meghan Markle is not your yardstick for female accomplishment (23 May 18) Read here
Larry Nassar's 175-year sentence feels like a victory for me too (26 Jan 18) Read here
Women work well together: the feuding stereotype must end (11 Dec 17) Read here
+ Broadsheet Melbourne
Don’t Be Late, but Do Wear Jeans: A Night Out at the Ballet 101 (12 June 19) Read here
Finding your community through tattoos (30 May 19) Read here
Cosi is returning to the MTC after 26 years (9 May 19) Read here
The Peculiar Parallel Lives of Hans and Nora Heysen (7 May 19) Read here
Temptation to Co-Exist: Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley (30 April 19) Read here
+ Crikey news
He thinks we doth protest too much (the constitution says otherwise) (13 Dec 19) Read here
Chinese international students are not a ‘problem’ to be solved (30 Aug 19) Read here
Do we need to renegotiate the language of sex and consent for the #MeToo era? (29 Jan 18) Read here
‘Dizziness, nausea, headaches, confusion’: what life is like without mental health medication on Manus (16 Nov 17) Read here
+ The Cusp
What I learned from dating with a mental illness (5 Oct 17) Read here
+ Daily Life
What Male Critics' Dismissal of "Big Little Lies" says about women's stories (2 apr 19) Read here
Feminists call out men for behaving badly and it's good for feminism (7 jul 16) Read here
five common defences for the "right to be offensive" (25 jan 16) Read here
+ Feminist Writers Festival
Generation Gap: How feminists of different ages are connecting to #MeToo (1 Mar 18) Read here
+ Goat
David Leyonhjelm's Misogynistic Name-Calling Is About As Sophisticated As Men's-Rights Arguments Get (4 Jul 18) Read here
Australia Inspired the cruelty of the US border policy (21 jun 18) read here
COMPLETE GOAT ARCHIVE
+ Going Down Swinging
Simulated Capital (Jul 17) Read here
A Place For Women In Hollywood Action Blockbusters (Jun 15) Read here
COMPLETE GOING DOWN SWINGING ARCHIVE
+ The Guardian
"Cat Person" is familiar to women who feel powerless to stop a sexual encounter (12 Dec 17) Read here
"The Wrong Girl" - Zoë Foster Blake's bestseller brings Australia into the TV romcom revolution (28 Sep 16) Read here
+ The Herald Sun
"Twilight"s Bella lacking strong points as a role model (4 Dec 12) Read here
+ Junkee
The Inside Story Of Nicole Kidman’s Comeback Year That Wasn’t (28 Nov 17) Read here
The Barriers to Access A Medical Abortion In Australia Are Shocking and Unfair (28 Sep 17) Read here
Which Of These Woke Ken Dolls Is Your New Problematic Crush? (21 Jun 17) Read here
COMPLETE JUNKEE ARCHIVE
+ Kill your darlings
Dancing with myself (11 Dec 17) Read here
Lampooning La La Land: Blurring criticism and opinion in the mainstream (2 Feb 17) Read here
Simple Pleasures (4 Jul 16) Read here
FULL KILL YOUR DARLINGS ARCHIVE
+ Meanjin Quarterly
Bodies of Light and the Opera of Trauma Writing (29 Sep 21) Read Here
Left-handed Crochet (Autumn 21) Read here
Taking Female Queerness from Subtext to Text (Winter 20) Read Here
Another Vigil for Another Dead Woman (6 Jun 19) Read Here
Language That Divides: The Jingoistic Rhetoric of So-Called Patriots (8 Apr 19) Read Here
+ The New Daily
The five most memorable makeovers on Netflix's "queer Eye" (17 Feb 18) Read here
Disney funds free Black Panther screening for disadvantaged Melbourne kids (7 Feb 18) Read here
COMPLETE THE NEW DAILY ARCHIVE
+ News.Com.Au
"That’s impossible": "Lie" at heart of romance films (26 Jul 18) Read here
Shannon Noll’s aggressive spray puts us all in danger (9 Jul 18) Read here
+ Overland
Overboiled and Over It - "True Detective" and slow crime (29 jun 15) read here
The "Gone Girl" Problem (13 Oct 14) Read here
+ Pedestrian TV
OK, So Who Should Be People's Sexiest Man Alive 2017? (19 Nov 17) Read here
+ Rendezview
Politicians lie all the time, and we don't care (27 Aug 18) Read here
Mental health care shouldn't be a luxury (9 Aug 18) Read here
Opting out of "my health" shouldn't be this hard (26 Jul 18) Read here
COMPLETE RENDEZVIEW ARCHIVE
+ Special Broadcasting Corporation (SBS)
What the Leigh Sales kissing incident tells us about outdated etiquette (3 Sep 19) Read here
Why young women sleeping rough can never feel truly safe (1 Aug 18) Read here
Swimming, my body and fat summers (29 Nov 17) Read here
COMPLETE SBS ARCHIVE
+ 10Daily
Sorry, But The Bushfires Aren't The Kardashians’ Fault (8 Jan 20) Read here
'OK Boomer' Is The Meme A Clueless, Out-Of-Touch Generation Deserves (14 Nov 19) Read here
While workplaces test dismissal laws, it's women who'll suffer (1 Aug 18) Read here
COMPLETE 10DAILY ARCHIVE
+ VICE
"The Girlfriend Experience" proves cold, clinical sex can be hot (29 Jan 18) Read here
We talked to Timothée Chalamet about 2017's best film (22 Jan 18) Read here
Every millennial should be watching "Search Party" (23 Nov 17) Read here
Listen + Watch
Matilda has appeared regularly on panels for various writing festivals, as well as at The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne's centre for reading and ideas. She has also been a guest on Radio National, ABC locals and many other radio and podcast shows.
WATCH: Reporting The Gender Reckoning with Sophie Black, Francesca Donner and Matilda Dixon-Smith. Co-presented by The Wheeler Centre and The New York Times (2018).
LISTEN: The roles and responsibilities of news satire — The Breakfast Club, Next Wave Festival (2014).
LISTEN: 'Modern Dilemma' — RN’s Life Matters with host Amanda Smith.
LISTEN: RN Drive with Patricia Karvelas (topics: Ryan Gosling, Bill Shorten and Harvey Weinstein).
LISTEN: Rereaders with hosts Mel Campbell and Dion Kagan (topics: I, Tonya, 'Extraordinary Routines' and The End Of The Fxxking World ) here.
LISTEN: Critical Attention with hosts Mel Campbell and Dion Kagan (topic: Matilda’s critical practice).
LISTEN: Rereaders with hosts Mel Campbell and Dion Kagan (topics: Griffith Review's 'Millenials Strike Back', My Cousin Rachel and Hamish and Andy with Dion Kagan and Mel Campbell).
LISTEN: New York’s 60dB with host Daisy Rosario (male critics and HBO’s Big Little Lies).
LISTEN: Matilda's podcast, me & all my friends.
READ: Interview w artist Giselle Stanborough.