"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
Guide. Book: So You Think You Know Maine?, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Steven and the Dachshund, Victoria Scanlan Stefanakos
Guide. Book: Who Are We?, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Dance: Celeste! Green's! Rock! Ballet!, Will Grunewald
Guide. Dining: Anju Noodle Bar, Joe Ricchio and Meredith Perdue, photographer
Guide. Dining: Canterbury Royale, Joe Ricchio and Mark Fleming, photographer
Guide. Dining: Center Lovell Inn, Joe Ricchio and Mark Fleming, photographer
Guide. Dining: Little Village Bistro, Joe Richie and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: MK Kitchen, Joe Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: Pine Point Grille, Joel Riccio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining: Scales, Elizabeth Peavey and Jared Kuzia, photographer
Guide. Dining: Toroso, Michael Cavallaro and Meredith Perdue, photographer
Guide. Dining: Union, Elizabeth Peavey and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Event: A Lot on Your Plate, Brian Kevin and Erin Little, photographer
Guide. Event: Undeadheads, Joel Crabtree
Guide. Film: Filmed (Not) on Location, Clark Shepard
Guide. Film: Scoring the Archives, Joel Crabtree
Guide. Film: World of Watercraft, Will Grunewald
Guide. Hobbies: Color Me Calm, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Indulgence: Soakology, Sarah Stebbins and Mark Fleming, photographer
Guide. Music: Aphonic Youth, Brian Kevin
Guide. Music: Four and a Quarter, Brian Kevin
Guide. Music: Old Tricks, Brian Kevin
Guide. Music: Peace and Quiet, Brian Kevin
Guide. Music: Young Punks, Arielle Greenberg Bywater
Guide. Nightlife: Vena's Fizz House, Joe Ricchio and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Opera: Bohemian Rhapsody, Brian Kevin
Guide. Performance: True Confessions, a Storytelling Scene Grows in Lewiston at The Corner, Sara Ann Donnelly
Guide. Theater: Out of the Shadows, Victoria Scanlan Stefanakos
Guide. Theater: So You'd Like to See Summer Shakespeare in Maine!, Brian Kevin
He Is Not the Champion, My Friend, Brian Kevin
I Dream of Dahlias, Naomi Graychase and Margaret Rizzio, illustrator
Into the Wild(ish), Brian Kevin; Dom Casserly, photographer; and Jarrod McCabe, photographer
Marathon Man, Kathryn Miles and Michael D. Wilson, photographer
Mini-Me: Six Homeowners Find Big-time Pleasure in Their Tiny Retreats, Cynthia Anderson and Irvin Serrano, photographer
Monument's Man, Don Lenahan
North by East. 2016 Environmental Award: The Weed Wackers, Sara Anne Donnelly
North by East. A Farewell to Scales, Will Grunewald
North by East. All Stove Up, Meadow Rue Merrill
North by East. Boyd in the Hood, Jesse Ellison
North by East. Bunker, Sweet Bunker, Will Grunewald
North by East. Channel Champ, Down East staff writers
North by East. Colossus of Christmas, Down East staff writers
North By East. Cover Story: Wasn't the Indie Bookstore Supposed to be a Relic by Now?, B.K. [Brian King]
North by East. Don't Drink That!, Will Grunewald
North by East. Fogged Over, Jesse Ellison
North by East. Going Postal, Brian Kevin
North by East. GQ: Do We Need It?, Brian Kevin
North by East. In Memoriam: Donn Fendler, Thurlow John