In the early years of Country Roads magazine, this map of "English Louisiana" was included in every issue.
When we proposed the idea, it seemed obvious, simple, fun: forty stories for forty years! A trip down memory lane for this publication, which celebrates its ruby anniversary this month: we'd republish one story from each year that Country Roads has been in circulation.
Our editorial team—Publisher James Fox-Smith, Arts & Entertainment Editor Alexandra Kennon, and I convened at our office, which is a rare thing in these work-from-home times. From the old meeting room library shelf, we pulled out the bound copies of every issue published since our founder Dorcas Brown decided she wanted to spread the word about the riches of small town Louisiana in the fall of 1983.
It took very little time at all to realize the challenge we had set up for ourselves: how to possibly pick a single story for each year? How to resist disappearing for hours into the pages of the "Indian Summer" issue of 1997, drowning in Elizabeth Dart's story of West Feliciana swimming holes, taking notes on Linda Metcalf Smith's column on hurricane gardening, and squealing at Murrell Butler's ode to barn swallows. Our lists of candidates for each year piled high, and it took us weeks of painful vetting to arrive at a final slate of forty stories.
Along the way I, who have now edited Country Roads for a mere five of these years—gained a new appreciation for the legacy of this magazine. I found decades-old stories written by writers I still have the privilege of working with today; discovered writers long gone whose distinct styles defined eras at this magazine. We found stories that made us laugh out loud, and stories that marked key moments of the past four decades—the rise of the internet, Hurricane Katrina, and more recently COVID-19. We came across James's first work of journalism, written about Alex's parents' iconic Shadetree bed and breakfast. We found stories we'd write so differently now, and stories that can never be imitated. And then there were stories that we've told again and again, figments of our culture we can't help but return to, inspiring each "generation" of editors anew.
How does a print publication, written for a regional audience, survive the forty most turbulent years of media in history? It's hard to say, but what I know is this: stories told honestly, with humor and heart, have staying power. From the beginning, Country Roads has shared a love of place with its readers, and I believe that connection holds you to us, and us to you. Thank you for reading, you're the reason we're still here. •
Peruse our online "Forty Stories from Forty Years" archive at countryroadsmag.com/40stories40years.
