Down East magazine, has been publishing since August 1954, and continues as one of Maine's most prominent monthly magazines. Their web site's history page provides the following description:

"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.

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Submissions from 2021

North by East: Something to Chew on and Other Maine Inventions that Stuck, Will Grunewald

North by East: Spider Man, Joel Crabtree

North by East: Studio City?, Kayla Voigt

North by East: Test of Time, Peter Andrey Smith

North by East: The Adams Administration, Michaela Cavallaro

North by East: Treebiscuit, Virginia M. Wright

North By East: Ups and Downs, Kathryn Miles

Northern Exposures, Down East staff writers

One Unbroken Forest, Will Grunewald

Room with a View: A Season for Faith and Ritual, Philip Conkling

Room with a View: a Walk on the Heath, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room With a View: Coming Home, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room With a View: In Dreams Begins Responsibility, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room with a View: Looking: a Good Way to See, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room With a View: Never Say No to an Island, Philip Conkling and Peter Ralston, photographer

Room With a View: Poor Joanna, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room with a View: The Whale's Gifts, Susan Hand Shetterly

Room with a View: Tilting at Windmills, Philip Conkling

Room With a View: Time Alone, Susan Hand Shetterly

Salted Away, Rob Wolfe and Greta Rybus, photographer

Same As It Ever Was?, Will Grunewald

Season's Eatings, Will Grunewald

See Spotz Run, Catie Joyce-Bulay

Shaka Shack, Kathryn Miles

Shared Soil, Katy Kelleher

Shop Till You Drop, Michaela Cavallaro

Small Towns, Smaller Galleries, A. P.

So Cold it Shines, Will Grunewald

Street View, Séan Alonzo Harris (photos) and Genevieve Morgan (quotes)

Strongholds, Benjamin Williamson [photos]

Sulking in a Winter Wonderland, Ron Currie

Talk of Maine: a Burning Question, Philip Kiefer

Tell Us More: Amity Libby

The Development Projects: Reshaping Portland, Edgar Allen Beem, Sara Anne Donnelly, and Alexandra Hall

The Most Hated House Style in Maine?, Hannah Holmes

Tomorrowland, Will Grunewald

Totally Jellies, Brian Kevin

Turbid Water, Kathryn Miles

Unity and Division, Bill Donahue

We are Mainers, Dammit, and We Can Still Hang Out Outside, Brian Kevin

Welcome to the Wild Wild World of Maine Real Estate, Jesse Ellison, Jennifer Van Allen, and Brian Kevin

What's Next for America's Crown Jewel?, Virginia M. Wright

Where to Eat Now, Down East staff writers and Mark Fleming [photos]

Who Wields Power in Portland, Brian Kevin

Submissions from 2020

100 Books Every Lover of Maine Should Read, Down East staff writers

200 Reasons to Love Maine, Down East staff writers

2020 in the Bag, S. S.

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