Article Submissions

Ramsey County Historical Society welcomes article proposals for our quarterly history magazine Ramsey County History. We welcome pitches that:

1. Offer an original contribution to the history of Ramsey County, Minnesota, either by filling gaps in the historical record or providing alternate views
2. Are based on historical research, use both primary and secondary source material, and include citations as well as visual materials (such as photos, maps, diagrams, illustrations, etc.)
3. Balance thorough research with an engaging and accessible writing style
4. Advance RCHS’s mission by engaging with the question: How does preserving the past inform our present and inspire our future?

We welcome proposals from community members, journalists, history enthusiasts, scholars, culture bearers, and students. Writing and/or archival research experience is appreciated by not required. We especially invite proposals from writers with lived experiences and perspectives that have been excluded from dominant historical records, including Indigenous, Black, and people of color, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, immigrants, women, etc.

Ramsey County History publishes both researched articles in third person, as well as first-person pieces that place a personal narrative in a historical context. All articles include robust endnotes and go through an editorial fact-checking process. Longer articles are around 4000 words, and shorter pieces around 2000 words. Writers receive an honorarium based on the length of the piece.

Articles are typically planned at least 6-12 months prior to publication. The RCHS Editorial Board meets every other month to review pitches, after which time the Editor will contact you with an update on your proposal.

If you have an idea for an article topic that is relevant to the history of Ramsey County, but you are not interested in the process of archival research and writing, you are welcome to send us a tip.

Note: Ramsey County Historical Society is not currently accepting book proposals.

Your pitch should include a paragraph on each of these points:

1. Write a short summary of your article. What is your proposed topic or focus of research?
2. Introduce yourself. Who are you as a writer and/or historian, and what is your connection to your proposed topic? You may share links to past publications if you like.
3. How does this piece fit within the history of Ramsey County, compared to existing publications? Where would you begin with historical research?

Pitches can be submitted by email to [email protected]. Feel free to reach out with questions.

Authors interested in writing for RCH magazine are encouraged to read recent examples of published articles, to better understand the types of pieces we publish:

• All Dakota Issue (Fall 2023)
• Kristina Her, “Hmong Foodways in Ramsey County,” (Summer 2023)
• Frank M. White, “From a Star on the Ball Diamond to a Star at the Minnesota State Capitol: Billy Williams,” (Spring 2023)
  Paul Nelson, “The Children’s Preventorium of Ramsey County,” (Winter 2023)
• Eleta Pierce, “Growing Up in St. Paul: My Harley Grandma Mary Eileen Kehoe and the St. Paul Motorcycle Escort Club,” (Winter 2023)
• Nieeta L. Presley, “Traveling Without Aggravation: How Victor H. Green Changed Travel for Black Americans: Green Book Locations in the Historic Rondo Community (1940-1956),” (Summer 2022)
• Steve Trimble, “Forgotten to Time? The Search for Scottie Primus Davis,” (Winter 2022)
• Kate Dietrick, Gabrielle Horner, and Janet Kampf, “Tikkun Olam: Jewish Women Serving Their St. Paul Community,” (Fall 2021)
• Kao Kalia Yang, “Growing Up Hmong in the Twin Cities: Gatherings from Before,” (Summer 2021)
• Matt Flueger, “A Fort Snelling History Mystery: The Lost Barracks and the Twenty-Fifth US Infantry Regiment,” (Spring 2021)
• Harriette Peterson Koopman, with Connie Koopman Pettersen, “Growing Up Along the Mighty Mississippi: The Great Depression Through the Eyes of a Young River Rat,” (Winter 2021)
• Leetta M. Douglas, “Votes for Everywoman: Nellie Griswold Francis, the Women of Rondo, and Their Suffrage Crusade,” (Summer 2020)