I’m a writer and editor.
I started out my media career in London as an assistant to MONOCLE’s editor-in-chief, Tyler Brûlé, and later served as the magazine’s Southern Africa correspondent for several years. My environmental journalism has been published by the BBC, and my many other bylines include South Africa’s paper of record, the Sunday Times, as well as the Mail & Guardian, Financial Mail and Business Day. I previously served as editor-at-large and books editor at the latter’s culture and lifestyle magazine supplement, WANTED. View my journalism portfolio here.
Copy
My copywriting has ranged from product descriptions and press releases to newsletters and blog posts — and pretty much everything else between. The brands I’ve worked for include those in the tech, finance, hospitality and wine sectors. Drop me a line if you’d like to check out some long-form copy samples.
Editing
I edit TONGUES, a showcase of “conversations with questioners, mavericks and mavens”. Favourite chats include those with the artist Brett Murray, the author Christos Tsiolkas, and the forest restorers Janine Stephen and Connor Cullinan. From 2013 to 2019, I was editor of the literary journal AERODROME, publishing over 600 pieces, including book reviews, extracts, interviews and original creative writing. I also edited and project managed the pilot issue of Rhino Africa Safaris’ travel magazine, Africa Traveller, in 2013.
Creative writing and literature
My poetry has been published by &Change, Ons Klyntji, The Bloom and Spectra Poets. My short fiction has appeared in two anthologies: The Ghost-Eater and Other Stories (Umuzi) and Adults Only (Mercury). I served as poetry convenor of the 2015 Franschhoek Literary Festival and as operations manager of the 2022 Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.
What else?
From 2010 to 2014, I was a writing coach for the Young Leaders’ Programme, a leadership development initiative spearheaded by South Africa’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance. I obtained a degree in creative branding communications from Vega School, and I’m currently studying a postgraduate diploma in sustainable development at the University of Stellenbosch’s Centre for Sustainability Transitions.
Contact
Through my monthly(ish) newsletter I share musings on culture, food, nature — and whatever else is on my mind. If you’d like to get in touch, drop me an email: alexgmatthews(at)gmail.com.
Alexander Matthews 