Photo by Robert Alexander Smith, 2018.

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.