"The goal of Down East has always been to hold a mirror up to Maine — its storied past and lively present — and to celebrate its flinty, independent character and unhurried way of life. As Maine has changed with the times, however, so has Down East. Today the state has come to embrace its future as well as its past. Accordingly, the magazine now focuses more on contemporary Maine life and what the future might bring and less on historical background and quaint rusticity. Booming circulation and advertising gains demonstrate the wisdom of this editorial shift."
Portland Public Library's collection of Down East is complete, and begins with the first issue, August 1954. The hard copies are available in the Portland Room.
Submissions from 2024
Accidental Influencer, Virginia M. Wright
Against the Current, Jesse Ellison
All Maine Points, Mary Pols
All the Bells and Whistles, Nora Saks
Ancient History, Virginia M. Wright
A Real Shell Shock, Joel Crabtree
A Vision in Black & White, Will Grunewald
Blown to Smithereens, Jesse Ellison
Bright Idea, Sara Anne Donnelly
Bugging Out, Sara Anne Donnelly
Bulb Moment, Virginia M. Wright
Captain Kid, David Howard
Carving Out a Life, Sara Anne Donnelly
Creation Station, Michaela Cavallaro
DIY Network, Brian Kevin
Dogged Pursuit, Kathryn Miles
Dream Weaver, Michaela Cavallaro
Equipped for Adventure, N. S.
Face Value, Sara Anne Donnelly
Flights of Fancy, Sara Anne Donnelly
Flower Power, Katy Kelleher
Food for Thought, Sara Anne Donnelly
Going to Seed, Nora Saks
Gone with the Wind, Stephanie Bouchard
Good as New, Joel Crabtree, Sara Anne Donnelly, Will Grunewald, and Nora Saks
Keeping it Real, Sara Anne Donnelly
King of the Occult, Lois Lowry
Kolache Country, Brian Kevin
Language Art, Sara Ann Donnelly
Learning the Ropes, Virginia M. Wright
Making Waves, Molly George
Mystery Machine, S. S.
Novel Mosaics, Virginia M. Wright
No Woman is an Island, Michaela Cavallaro
Ready to Make a Splash, Nora Saks
Rock of Ages, Michaela Cavallaro
Small Town, ME, Joel Crabtree, Will Grunewald, Nora Saks, and Sarah Stebbins
Small World, Sara Stebbins
Sound Guy, Victoria Wasylak
Sovereign People, Rachel Slade
State of Play, Mary Pols
Stop and Smell the Roses, Aurelia Scott
That Creepy Crawly Feeling, Nora Saks
The Art of Being Jeffery Becton, Jesse Ellison
The Great Maine Scavenger Hunt, Bridget Burns, Will Grunewald, Nora Saks, and Sarah Stebbins
Thrifters' Paradise, Michele Christle
Woven Throughout Time, Virginia M. Wright
“You Can’t Explain It to Anybody”, Jesse Ellison