"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 2017
10 Big Cheeses, Martha Stewart, guest editor; Virginia M. Wright, senior editor; and Heidi Klingelhofer
10 Most Iconic Maine Photos of All Time, Brian Kevin, Jesse Ellison, Ben Williamson, Kathleen Fleury, Angela Waldron, Libby Bischof, Virginia M. Wright, and Rob Sneddon
2017 Down East Reader Photo Contest, Down East staff writers; Steven Perlmutter, photographer; Colleen Phaedra Wilson, photographer; Mike Czosnek, photographer; Tom Olson, photographer; Mike Cullivan, photographer; Michele Barker, photographer; Laura Zamfirescu, photographer; Jeannie Holden, photographer; Anne Stauffer, photographer; and Kevin Job, photographer
Among the Puffins, Down East staff writers
A Moving Essay, Kathleen Fleury
A Slice of Culture, Virginia M. Wright and Adam Detour, photographer
Best of Maine 2017, Editorial staff writers
Best Places to Live in Maine, Down East staff writers; Sue Ann Hodges, photographer; and Susan Cole Kelly, photographer
Big Al’s is Huge!!!, Ron Currie and Michael D. Wilson, photographer
Dooryard. Garden: Pots and Pans, Martha Stewart
Dooryard. Home: A Century of Skylands, Sarah Stebbins
Dooryard. Home: Fire and Ice; For Descendents of Maine's 19th-century Finnish Immigrants, the Sauna Ritual Has Lost None of Its Sanctity, Ike Johnson and Molly Haley, photographer
Dooryard. Home: Forward to the Past, Virgina M. Wright
Dooryard. Home: The Sailor's Nest, Virginia M. Wright and Jared Kuzia, photographer
Dooryard. Home: Victorian Revamp, Meadow Rue Merrill and Meredith Perdue, photographer
Dooryard. Making it in Maine, Frances Killea
Dooryard. Making It in Maine: Bird Man, Jaed Coffin and Michael D. Wilson, photographer
Dooryard. Making It in Maine: Hit Maker, Joel Crabtree and Brian Fitzgerald, photographer
Dooryard. Making It in Maine: Peace, Love, and Tofu, Jesse Ellison and Gabe Souza, photographer
Dooryard. Making it in Maine: Urning Their Keep, Lucinda Ziesing and Jason P. Smith, photographer
Dooryard. My Maine: Fish Story, Tom Hennessey
Dooryard. My Maine: Living Deep by the Fire, Robin McCarthy
Dooryard. My Maine. Storm Gathering, Meadow Rue Merrill
Dooryard. Recipe: Cherries, Baby, Annemarie Ahearn's
Dooryard. Recipes: Flower Moon Favorites, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Simply Elegant Chocolate Mousse, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Sorrel is So Real, Martha Stewart
Dooryard. Recipe. Winter Comfort: A Classic British Dish is Well Suited to a Cold Maine Night, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Room With a View, Franklin Burroughs
Dooryard. Room With a View, Franklin Burroughs
Dooryard. Room with a View, Franklin Burroughs
Dooryard. Room With a View, Franklin Burroughs
Dooryard. Room With a View, Franklin Burroughs
Dooryear. Critters: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beetles, Greg Westrich and Michael D. Wilson, photographer
Garden Party, Sarah Stebbins; Douglas Merriam, photographer; and Madeline Macomber, styler
Guide. Art: Art Nouveau, Will Grunewald
Guide. Art: Cover Story, Mira Ptacin
Guide. Book: Boys of Summer, Will Grunewald
Guide. Dining: 18 Central Oyster Bar & Grill, Joe Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: Brahma Grill, Joe Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: Coda, Virginia M. Wright and Michael D. Wilson, photographer
Guide. Dining: Oxford House Inn, Joel Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: Tulsi North, Joe Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Events: June’s Blooms, Down East staff writers
Guide. Events: Thrills and Chills, Down East staff writers
Guide. Goods: Martha's Maine Must-Haves, Martha Stewart
Guide. Music: American Classic, Will Grunewald
Guide. Music: Lady Lamb the Mystery, Will Grunewald
Guide. Music: No Second Fiddle, Joel Crabtree
Guide. Music: Reclaimed Timbre, Nick Schroeder