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Tom Flanagan

Journalist | Writer 

About Me

Freelance journalist and writer. Amsterdam-based but London and Switzerland-hailing. City Magazine Journalism graduate if that helps.

My Writing

I've written for brands like VICE and Catawiki where I specialise in long-form features and news content across culture, music, social issues and climate.

Join my Substack

If you want to get more of a sense of my writing and what I do, my substack is a good place to begin: 
https://iusedtotalk.substack.c...

Get in Touch

I'm always open for commissions, whether that's for features, brand editorial, news and video or investigative.

My Work

VICE •

Sex Parties Actually Bring Me Closer to My Partner

Sophie takes a deep breath before heading down the concrete steps into what looks like an underground cellar, its dark entrance concealing the feverish passions within. (Her name, and all names in this story, have been changed to protect privacy.) She takes a step forward and relaxes. She knows this passage well. What might seem like an unassuming hole-in-the-wall to many is a gateway into a world of fantasy – a party where (almost) anything goes. She grabs her partner’s hand and walks ahead.
Catawiki •

Remembering the queer authors who changed fiction forever

Children's books are often one of the most important parts of growing up – they inform literacy, emotions and creativity. And so many important children’s and illustrated books were written by queer authors, who have always existed in the space, even if the public never realised it. While many of these writers chose not to make their identity the central tenet of their output, their lived experiences informed so much of the writing they published.
The Daily Life Magazine •

Such is the Power of Sides

10 pm in Madrid. It’s a searing hot July day even at this time, when constellations of crowds disperse into smaller clusters, trickling into restaurants for food and respite. From inside this Galician restaurant, the noise swells from a gentle clicking of cutlery to an ambient buzz. Royal blue-studded ceramic plates play off against the teak wood of the table and chairs, and exposed bulb pendants bask the brick walls in a spectral glow.
Catawiki •

Space scandal: The letters that were never meant to reach the moon

Back in July 1971, the astronauts of Apollo 15 carried approximately 400 unauthorised postal covers – envelopes with stamps and addresses on them – into space in a bid to make profit and support their families at home, with what would be coveted collector’s items. What followed was years of public fallout; with NASA, the astronauts, the US government and a mysterious German seller all involved. Expert in Stamps Jean-Eudes Schoppmann recounts one of the more scandalous chapters in stamps history.
Catawiki •

How the Orient Express became the world’s most famous train

Few trains are as well-known as the Orient Express. A snaking train ride that took passengers on a journey across continental Europe from Paris to Istanbul, the Orient Express was a symbol of old-world glamour and escapism; attracting illustrious figures from all corners of the world and inspiring numerous works of literature. Yet its lavish reputation also drew in a wealth of intrigue, scandal, and even criminality in its lifespan.
Catawiki •

The forgotten history of men and high heels

Heels have long been a symbol of status, style and femininity but once upon a time they were synonymous with masculinity too. Dating back to ancient Egypt, walking in raised shoes was at first a practical choice for working men that was quickly adopted by the men and women of upper classes as a sign of nobility and status. Since then, high heels have continued to feature in men's fashion throughout the ages from King Louis XIV to the late David Bowie.
Catawiki •

Navigating the unspoken: the importance of taboo art

Back in 1934 in Washington D.C, something unusual happened. A painting titled The Fleet’s In! by Paul Cadmus was unceremoniously removed from The Corcoran Gallery of Art. The removal was ordered by the U.S. Navy, when retired Admiral Hugh Rodman saw an exhibition preview and—outraged by the painting’s contents—wrote furiously in an open letter to various papers condemning the artwork and its depiction of navy officers. He described it as “a most disgraceful, sordid, disreputable, drunken brawl”
Catawiki •

The lasting legacy of queer-coded Disney villains

The fictional villains of Disney films are both revered and feared, but their inspiration took root in real individuals—most of whom were queer. From The Little Mermaid’s Ursula to The Lion King’s Scar, these characters were queer-coded—an incorporation of stereotypical traits and characteristics like pronounced femininity or masculinity often associated with queer people—inspired from a time when depictions of homosexuality were taboo in motion pictures.
Catawiki •

The state of contemporary design, as told by the designers shaping it

Design has undergone a massive evolution in the past century. It’s given the world staple movements such as Bauhaus and mid-century modern, while continuing to redefine its role in the world as something purely functional and decorative. For now, contemporary design is the term used to describe the style of the present. It’s a broad-sweep label for a movement that isn’t easily defined, but it's that same fluidity which makes it interesting. We asked two Dutch designers – Thier & van Daalen and Simone Post – to talk to us about the focus of contemporary design nowadays, their work and what's next for the design scene.
Catawiki •

Meet the creators turning Lego into art

Lego has proved to be a toy that endures. Loved by children and adults alike, these colourful plastic bricks have challenged the imaginations of budding creatives, lent themselves to community causes like Pride and are still increasing in value to this day. Certain fans have gone the extra mile with Lego; capitalising on its flexible appeal, these individuals have been turning Lego into art. Known as My Own Creation (MOC), this involves any kind of Lego builds made outside of official sets, from scale models to prosthetic limbs. Two artists, Helma1peet and David Aguilar Amphoux, walk us through the MOC creation process and the joy found within.
Catawiki •

How to style your home in Decorative Salvage

In a year of increased consciousness and affinity for our homes, we’ve started to become mindful of what we choose to share our spaces with. Luckily, that has meant reusing and repurposing old finds rather than buying new. For those with a penchant for salvaged antiques, industrial style and a more sustainable approach to decorating, Decorative Salvage style may do the trick. Expert William Walsh explains how to capture this interiors style in your home.
Catawiki •

The forgotten humanitarian history of stamps

For over 100 years, stamps have been part and parcel of the world’s communications. While the primary function of stamps has been as a marker of postage payment, the study and the collection of stamps – known as philately – has uncovered some of stamps’ lesser-known stories. One of those unsung tales is the humanitarian history of stamps and their role in supporting charitable causes. In fact, these stamps – known primarily as semi-postal stamps – have been there for us throughout disasters, raising money and rallying support when we’ve needed it most. Atanasio Soriano, from our philately team, reveals the many occasions where stamps have helped to save the world.
Catawiki •

A history of Sex and the City’s fashion

Sex and the City is a mainstay of the modern pop cultural canon, as much due to its characters as its fashion. Led by Patricia Field, the show’s long-time chief costume designer, the outfits in Sex and the City have been influential in surfacing trends and catapulting designers to stardom. In celebration of the show’s continued impact and reboot, we revisit some of the show’s many iconic sartorial choices from designer heels to whimsical bags, which other than looking good, were mouthpieces for Sex and the City’s most redeeming qualities.
Potluck Zine •

When I don't know what to say, I cook

"How about your lasagna?” asked my
boyfriend, on one of those anonymous
nights in quarantine that blend into so
many. We’d fallen into the inevitable
quagmire of what to have for dinner,
something that throughout the pandemic
became the north star of our day, the
current that kept us moving. “That is, if
it’s not too much trouble. I’m happy to
help”, he added.

I nodded. It would never be too much
trouble really, but I felt more eager to make
it detecting the gentle plea in his voice. I
knew it was his favourite dish of mine.
Not because it was anything particularly
ground-breaking but for the opposite;
because it represented something
comforting, something familiar.

While the act of making lasagna—dutifully
chopping up the veg, simmering the ragu,
whipping the bechamel into excruciating
smoothness and carefully layering the
golden cuts of pasta one by one—might
seem like a labour of love for him, in
hindsight I can see it’s always been more
gratifying for me.
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