An open call for blog contributions

Interested in writing for GCHT? We’re opening up a call for blog articles for our Gallus Glasgow project. 

WHAT THIS IS ABOUT:

The Gallus Glasgow project uses Thomas Sulman’s intricate ‘Bird’s Eye View’ 1864 map of Glasgow as a catalyst for exploring the next 50 years of Glasgow’s development in the Victorian period, as it became ‘the Second City of the Empire’. A bespoke animation has been created by SUUM design studio that tells the story of the city of that time, whilst an interactive microsite featuring a zoomable version of the map will enable viewers to explore it in great detail. The project will also feature a series of events including online evening talks and short lunchtime seminars.

Throughout the project we hope to celebrate the achievements of the Victorian period in terms of Glasgow’s built heritage, but not shy away from the more difficult aspects and perhaps even turn a few established narratives on their head. From that point of view anything that might challenge the accepted view and surprise people would be of particular interest.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

We’re seeking articles that people will enjoy reading and that help them learn more about Glasgow’s Victorian built heritage and related topics. Here’s some of the kinds of things you could write about:

• Stories about ordinary people’s lives – we are particularly interested in stories about women, children and the working classes. 
• The legacy of slavery and Empire in the Victorian period. 
• Immigration in the 19th century and its impact on the city and its communities. 
• The impact of the industrial revolution on buildings, places and people’s lives.
• Glasgow’s urban development in the period 1800-1900.
• Maps and mapping.
• Sport and leisure in Victorian Glasgow.
• A particular building featured on Sulman’s map or built 1864-1914.
• An architect, working in Glasgow during the period.
• Or whatever else you’d like to write about related to Victorian Glasgow or Sulman’s Bird’s Eye View that you think our community would be interested in.

HOW THE SUBMISSION PROCESS WORKS:

1. Write a draft of an article. Have fun with it.
2. Submit your draft to us by email. See below! The draft should be a Word, Pages or Google Docs document (no PDFs).
3. If we think it’s a good fit, our team will review it and suggest changes if necessary. 
4. Approval, proofing, and publication.

We’ll try to respond to every submission, but we’re a small team, so please be patient with response times. We have a limited budget, so we might not be able to accept every submission. You will be paid only if your contribution is published.

ARTICLE GUIDELINES

• Blogs should be 400 – 1,000 words max and in Word, Pages or Google Docs format.
• Write in an informal tone, we find that delivers better results than an academic style
• Content should be tailored to our target audience of women aged 25-45 years old. For us this means it might: 
  • Be thought provoking & eye-opening
  • Be well-informed but not patronising
  • Tell diverse stories
  • Be relatable to ordinary Glaswegians
  • Be uplifting & celebratory but doesn’t gloss over tough subjects – challenging at times.

Information to be submitted with your blog:

• Title of the article, set in bold.
• Your name directly below the title.
• A brief writer’s profile of no more than three sentences
• A link to your social media profile(s) (optional)
• A high-res photograph of yourself (optional). Photos can be professional or more relaxed.
• At least one illustrative image to accompany the blog
  • A caption for your image.
  • You’ll need to report the source (the images shouldn’t be protected by copyright). If the image is from the internet then please send a link as well.
  • Images should be at least 800px wide.
  • Images are not to be inserted into the text, but are to be sent as a separate attachment.

HOW WE’LL CREDIT YOU:

• All authors of blog posts will be cited in the published item and a short profile can be included at the end of your piece, with links to your social media profiles, if provided.
• All text published on GCHT’s website will be under a Creative Commons license, whereby work can be quoted or reproduced elsewhere as long as it is properly attributed and linked back to GCHT, and as long as it is not reproduced for commercial use.
• The guest blog will be added to our website, and shared across our, and potentially our partners, social networks. We will tag you in any social posts, where possible. 

SOUND GOOD? 

If you would like to chat to us about your chosen topic, you can forward your questions or suggestions to the Outreach team by email,  outreach@glasgowheritage.org.uk. Your email should be clearly marked with the words ‘Blog entry’ in the title. Though, please note, we do not require a topic to be pre-approved and we accept submissions on a rolling basis.

Have fun, and good luck!