"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 2021
70 Over 70: Valley Girl, B. K.
70 Over 70: Walking the Walk, W. G.
70 Over 70: Zen Master, Suzanne Rico
All Jazzed Up, W. G.
A Moveable Feast, Joel Crabtree
Artist's Retreat, Aurelia C. Scott
A Whole Brunch of Good Ideas, Will Grunewald
Back to the Start, Will Grunewald
Barn Storm, Benjamin Williamson, photographer and Brian Kevin
Carrying the Load, Will Grunewald
Catching Fish is the Easy Part, Susan Conley
Changing Gear, Brian Kevin
Coming of Age, Will Grunewald
Coming up Roses, Virginia M. Wright
Crumbing to America, W. G.
Exit Interview: Suzette McAvoy, Will Grunewald
False-Flag Operation, Adrienne Perron
Fest-Case Scenario, Brian Kevin
Fever Pitch, Jaed Coffin
Fish Like a Mainer, Down East staff writers
Fish Like a Mainer: Beware the Frankenfish, Ted Williams
Fish Like a Mainer: Come Fly with Me, Ronald Joseph and Jada Fitch [illustrations]
Fish Like a Mainer: Diagnosis: Chronic Stripermania, Mitchell Breton
Fish Like a Mainer: Fishing With the Current, James Joiner
Fish Like a Mainer: Five Maine Fishing Experiences to Have Before you Die, Brian Kevin
Fish Like a Mainer: Know Your Native Maine Fish, Ted Williams
Fish Like a Mainer: Making Room on the River, Adrienne Perron
Fish Like a Mainer: One Man's Rough Fish, Jaed Coffin
Fish Like a Mainer: Tuna Tradition, Edgar Allen Beem
Food and Drink: Chickens, Veggies, and... Focaccia, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Dog Daze, Virginia M. Wright
Food and Drink: Drinks, N-A-one?, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: Drink to That, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: Feeling Deflated?, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: Fermentationland, W. G.
Food and Drink: Free Lunch?, Jennifer Hazard
Food and Drink: From Coast to Coast, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Higher Grounds, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: In Good Taste, W. G.
Food and Drink: Later, Fish Sticks, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Leaf Season, W. G.
Food and Drink: No Dairy, No Problem, Kaitlyn Schwalje
Food and Drink: No Need to Food Fight, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: No Small Potatoes, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Not a Ferment to Spare, W. G.
Food and Drink: One-Way Street, Kaitlyn Schwalje
Food and Drink: Shrub Hub, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: the Other Cider, W. G.
Food and Drink: the Science of Suds, W. G.
Food and Drink: Utopian Vision, Joel Crabtree