Contribute to lost portsmouth!

Contributor Guidelines - Lost Portsmouth

Interested in writing about a lost landmark in Portsmouth, Ohio? Awesome! You’re in the right place. 

The project, Lost Portsmouth, is an anthology that exists to showcase the buildings the city has razed over the years, and offer insight into what the loss of such structures mean for a city and its people. Each chapter will be a stand alone essay that depicts the following:

1. A history of the building 

2. The story of its loss

3. Mention of what replaced the building

4. A personal connection to the building (to be included at the end of the essay along with the contributor’s bio)

The introduction to the anthology will include commentary about the loss of old and historic architecture and what it means for the places that lose it. What we preserve in the present sends a message to the future about what we value. Architecture has an impact on the health and well-being of the people who live in and near it. When it is lost, so is a piece of the collective health and well-being of the city. Lost landmarks make an impact beyond the imagination. This project attempts to use the stories of lost landmarks in the city of Portsmouth to illustrate just how important the care and maintenance of old and historic structures is to the local imagination, well-being, and environment. 

Still want to contribute? Fantastic! Here’s what we’re looking for: 

1. Individual, stand alone essays that feature a lost landmark of Portsmouth, Ohio. [If you do not have a landmark in mind, please see the attached list of suggestions. If the box next to the landmark has been checked, it means that the particular landmark has been claimed already.]

2. Essays should address the four criteria listed above.

3. Essays should be between 800 and 2,000 words (unless otherwise negotiated with the editor).

4. Essays will be due by November 15, 2023 (unless otherwise negotiated with the editor) to accommodate any necessary edits.