Kendra Maness Davis sums up her foray into the magazine world with a simple declaration.
“Nobody told me I couldn’t,” said Maness, who started Slidell Magazine. “So I did!”
That was 14 years ago.
The magazine, a mix of pieces by and about local residents behind a “splashy, artsy” cover, soon found its niche and boasted a monthly circulation of around 10,000.
But times change. And next month, after 165 editions, Slidell Magazine will distribute its final edition.
The publication has struggled since the pandemic, Maness said, with advertising still not back to where it was. And Maness’s life underwent a big personal change too: “I got married!”
Slidell Magazine covers often featured vibrant art work. This cover, from October 2023, is ‘Advice from a Fisherman,’ an original work by 105-year-old Slidell resident Romualdo Costa. (Courtesy of Slidell Magazine)
Maness’s husband, Bill Davis, is a former Slidell Memorial Hospital executive who now works in Alexandria. Maness says she’s looking forward to spending as much time on the Red River as she does on Slidell’s Bayou Pattasat.
Selling the magazine was never a consideration, she said.
“That would have just been too hard. I didn’t want somebody else’s version of this.”
The 52-year-old, who grew up in Slidell, found herself living in northeast Arkansas in the mid-2000s and looking for something to do. She helped start a community magazine there and once it began to grow, she set her sights on a return to her hometown.
The Saints were in the midst of their magical 2009 season (Maness made a deal with a bar in Arkansas: “I’ll pay for the NFL games if you show the Saints every week.”) and she knew she needed to be back in Louisiana for their Super Bowl run.
She moved back and started writing, but had trouble getting published. So she started her own magazine, and in June 2010 the first edition of Slidell Magazine hit stores, building lobbies and waiting rooms across the city. The periodical also has some subscribers.
Maness figured her magazine would stick to some simple goals. It contained lots of good news that would make readers smile and always sought to feature colorful, vibrant art on the cover. The rest, she figured she could learn as she went.
Kendra Maness and John Case. Maness founded Slidell Magazine and Case is one of its most popular writers, authoring “The Storyteller” column in each edition.
“There was a big learning curve,” she said. “A huge learning curve.”
Through another writer, Maness met John Case.
Case, a south Mississippi native and the co-owner of a longtime Slidell insurance business, began writing historical pieces for the mag. But Maness said she soon realized that Case’s talents were in his writing as much as his research.
Soon, Case became “The Storyteller,” a popular anchor column that weaves in some history, some gossip, and a good bit of Southern wit.
“He’s the old storyteller sitting on a porch on a lazy day making up stuff . . .you know, exaggerating,” Maness said.
“Literary license,” Case quickly corrected.
Case, 76, also became a close friend, mentor and advisor, Maness said. There’s was a symbiotic relationship.
“The Storyteller built Slidell Magazine,” Maness said. “And the magazine built The Storyteller,” Case responded.
So close are the two that they made a pact a decade ago: They would work at the magazine as a team.
About a year ago, after 145 stories and three books, Case said he was ready to move on. Now, Maness is too.
“My focus needed to change,” she said.
“It’s been a great ride,” Case added.