"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 2020
All of the Bald Mountains, Virginia M. Wright
All the Edible Parts of a Lobster, Virginia M. Wright
An Affair of Changing Light, Kimberly Ridley
A Very General Store, Joyce Kryzak
A Well-Dug Bean Hole, W. G.
Back, Unexpectedly, to the Land, Buzz Poole
Best of Maine, Down East staff writers
Best Places to Camp, Down East staff writers
Best Places to Live, Down East staff writers
Birds of a Feather, W. G.
Braaap-ers' Delight, Mitch Breton
Bring Back the Christmas Goose!, Brian Kevin
Century Notes, Susan Sharon, Patty Wight, and Robbie Feinberg
C is for Cookie (And Cookie is for Sea), Kate McCarty
Comeback Story: The Rising, Kate McCarty
Come on Veggies, Light my Fire, W. G.
Conspicuous Manifestations of Maine Pride, B. K.
Covered Bridges, Joel Crabtree
Creetons and Poutine and Ployes, Oh, Mon Dieux!, Joel Crabtree
Crossover Cooking, Kate McCarty
Dawnland Dispatches, Will Grunewald and Brian Kevin
Die Hard, V. M. W.
Dining: Local Joint, Brian Kevin
Dining: Ski In, Eat Out, Will Grunewald
Dining: White Barn Inn Restaurant, Will Grunewald
Eat Outside: 33 Beautiful Places to Feast in the Fresh Maine Air, Will Grunewald
Filter Bubble, Sarah Stebbins
Food and Drink: A Communal Table, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: BuffaLove, Katy Kelleher
Food and Drink: Bundles of Energy, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Cooking on the Fine Line, Michaela Cavallaro
Food and Drink: Dining: Takin' It to the Streets, Joe Ricchio
Food and Drink: Flour to the People, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Griddle Me This, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Hot and Sax-y, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: Picking up Steam?, Amber Kapiloff
Food and Drink: Seafood: Shell Game, Joel Crabtree
Food and Drink: Silver-Lining Services, Will Grunewald
Food and Drink: Swigsteen Counties, Will Grunewald
Frozen Assets, Emmeline Willey
Garden: A Slice of Country, Aurelia C. Scott
Get Thee to a Nunnery?, Brian Kevin
Gingerbread Man, Sara Anne Donnelly
Going Up to Camp, Franklin Burroughs
Good Material, S. S.
Good Things From Maine: Bean's, But Make it Fashion, Alexandra Hall
Good Things From Maine: Carving Out a Niche, Rachel Slade
Good Things From Maine: Fair Wares, Marta Denny
Good Things From Maine: Fashion Statements, Amy Sutherland
Good Things From Maine: Fixer Uppers, V. M. W.