"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 2016
Dooryard. My Maine: Christmas in the Boatyard, Martha White
Dooryard. My Maine: Deer Spotting, Mitch Sturgeon
Dooryard. My Maine: Earnest Goes to Camp, David M. Shribman
Dooryard. My Maine: Glow Babies, Beth Ayotte
Dooryard. My Maine: Midcoast Liveratti, Sandy Oliver
Dooryard. My Maine: Pardon My French, Charlotte Albright
Dooryard. My Maine. Taste Test, Lorry Fleming
Dooryard. My Maine: The Clam Digger, Jon Keller
Dooryard. My Maine: The Snow Globe, Ken Textor
Dooryard. On the Rocks: A Family Tradition Endures on the Pemaquid Penninsula, Meadow Rue Merrill and Cait Bourgault, photographer
Dooryard. Paddling with the Current, Joel Crabtree and Little Outdoor Giants, photography
Dooryard. Recipe: Bearing Fruit, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Comfort in a Bowl, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Earthly Delights, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: First Taste of Spring, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: November's Other Bird, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Slow Food, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Sweet and Tart, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Three of a Kind, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Yes, Peas!, 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
Dooryard. Room With a View: Divos of the Wetlands, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Doc, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Season of Myths, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: The Winter Excuse, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Through a Glass Coldly, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: We Want to Believe, Paul Doiron
Endless Summer, Virginia M. Wright and Carl Tremblay, photographer
Evolving Dorr, Kathryn Miles
Feast at the Beach, Sandy Oliver; Catrine Kelty, stylist; and Michael Piazza. photographer
Fifty under $50, Laura Serino and Irvin Serrano, photographer
Fire Escape, Lance Tapley
From Our Archives. May 1995: Burn, Barrens, Burn!, [Editorial staff writers]
From Our Archives. Summer 1959: Sand Beach Solitude, [Down East editorial staff]
Game Changer: Is Rockland about to Become Maine's Artiest Town?, Virginia M. Wright
Ghost Town, Sara Anne Donnelly and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Go Deep, Greg Peters and Jamie Walter, photographer
Guide. Art: Animal Spirits, Edgar Allen Beem
Guide. Art: Creating Man, Daniel Kany
Guide. Art: Her Art is Everywhere, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Art: On Deck, Brian Kevin
Guide. Art: The Language That He Used, Kyra Spence
Guide. Book: A Kaleidoscope of White, Brian King
Guide. Book: A Life in Verse, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Inside These Walls, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Lovely Horrors, Will Grunewald