"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 2023
Maine Homes: Rock Star, Virginia M. Wright
Maine Homes: Wanted: Eloquent Innkeeper, S. S.
Maine Homes: Wild Life, Virginia M. Wright
My Favorite Place: Antonio Rocha: Celebration Barn Theater, South Paris, Hadley Gibson
My Favorite Place: Clarisse Karasira, Joan Sayward Franklin '46 Theater, Portland, Virginia Wright
My Favorite Place: James Francis: Mud Pond Carry, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: John Stirratt: Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Bridget M. Burns
My Favorite Place: Kate Aldrich: The Damariscotta River, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Kate Stookey: Falls Bridge, Blue Hill, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Kimberly Hamilton: Chebeague Island, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Linda Greenlaw: Morgan Bay, Surry, Adrienne Perron
My Favorite Place: Peter Brown: La Verna Preserve, Bristol, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Rebeccah Sanders: Wonderland Trail, Acadia National Park, Virginia M. Wright
My Favorite Place: Steven Rowley: South Portland Public Library, Bridget M. Burns
My Favorite Place: Todd Field: Rockport Post Office, Brian Kevin
My Maine: Marginalia, Dominic Scicchitano
North by East: Amphibious Assault, Will Grunewald
North By East: Are We There Yet?, Will Grunewald
North by East: Beak Outlook?, Mary Pols
North by East: Bridging the Gap, Will Grunewald
North by East: Candid Cameras, W. G.
North By East: County Kid, Michael Colbert
North by East: Fairy Tale Ending, Will Grunewald
North by East: Flight Risk, Jesse Ellison
North by East: From Africa with Love, Virginia M. Wright
North by East: Getting the Birds Back Together, Michele Christle
North by East: Hitting Rewind, Joel Crabtree
North by East: Illustrated Man, W. G.
North by East: In from the Cold, Will Grunewald
North by East: In with the New, Will Grunewald
North By East: It's a Small World, Nora Saks
North by East: John, Mayor, Brian Kevin
North by East: Map Quest, Michele Christle
North by East: Need We Say Nor?, Brian Kevin
North By East: Pond Scrum!, Joel Crabtree
North By East: Pumpkinhead, Will Grunewald
North By East: Raising the Anchor, Edgar Allen Beem
North by East: Reinstallment Plan, Jesse Ellison
North By East: Rolling Back the Years, Joel Crabtree
North by East: Shucking Champ, Nora Saks
North by East: Sincerely, the Governor, Will Grunewald
North by East: Staying in her Lanes, Teresa Versteeg
North by East: The Life Aquatic, Will Grunewald
North By East: The Sky is Falling, Mary Pols
North by East: The Sounds of Silence, Nora Saks
North By East: Time Lapse, Michaela Cavallaro
North by East: Under the Weather, W. G.
North By East: Wooly and the Wild, Jesse Ellison
Not Just a Ski Town, W. G.
Rambles with Rover, Aislinn Sarnacki