"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 2015
Dooryard. My Maine: Getting Ready for Winter
Dooryard : My Maine. Heat, play, love, Elizabeth Peavey
Dooryard. My Maine: Into the Wildwood, Michael Burke
Dooryard. My Maine: Plenty of Good Water, Rob Joseph
Dooryard. My Maine. The Littoral Truth, Ron Currie Jr.
Dooryard. My Maine: Wild Blueberries Saved Our Lives!, Bruce J. Yasgur
Dooryard. Nesting Habits, Melanie Brooks and Irvin Serrano, photographer
Dooryard. Overheard at the Farmer’s Market, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Powerless, Paul Doiran
Dooryard. Recipe: A Meal as Easy as Late Summer, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Fish Chowder Keep the Chill at Bay, Anniemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe. Summer’s Jewels, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Sunny Side Up, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Recipe: Worth the Wait, Summer’s First Tomatoes, Annemarie Ahearn
Dooryard. Room with a View: Fit to be Tied, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room with a View: Fliers, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Lingua Franca, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room with a View: Notes on Springtime, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Once Bitten, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room With a View: Priceless, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room with a View: Seeing Stars, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. Room with a View: Stinkin’ to High Heaven, Paul Doiron
Dooryard. The Christmas Farm, Meadow Rue Merrill and Erin Little
Drink Them Apples, Joe Ricchio and Mark Fleming, photographer
East Side, West Side, Edgar Allen Beem and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Every Last Leaf, Rebecca Martin Evarts and P J. Couture, photographer
Family Trees, [Various authors] and Cara Slifka, photographer
Gather Round the Table, [Editorial staff writers] and Adam Detour, photographer
Guide. Art: Altered Estates, Grace-Yvette Gemmell
Guide. Art : By the sea, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Art: Curationland, Grace-Yvette Gemmell
Guide. Art: Metamorphoses, Caroline Praderio
Guide. Art: Through a Rose-Colored Lens, Brian Kevin
Guide. Art: Winter in July?, Edgar Allen Beem
Guide. Art: Woodworking Behind Bars, Edgar Allen Beem and Marti Stone, photographer
Guide. Book: Add Maine and Stir, Grace-Yvette Gemmell
Guide. Book: Back-to-the-Landers, Peter Pfeiffer
Guide. Book: Farmer Boys, Jim Bauer
Guide. Book: Footloose, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Inside the Hive, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Island Girl, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Maine Classics, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Book: Still Bimulous, B.K. [Brian King]
Guide. Book: The Negotiator, George Mitchell
Guide. Book: Through Children’s Eyes, Virginia M. Wright
Guide. Dining, Elizabeth Peavey and Meredith Purdue, photographer
Guide. Dining: Bao Bao Dumpling House, Elizabeth Peavey and Kristin Teig, photographer
Guide. Dining: Blaze, Melanie Brooks and Meredith Perdue, photographer
Guide. Dining: Boynton-McKay, Virginia M. Wright and Douglas Merriam, photographer
Guide. Dining : Coplin Dinner House, Nancy Heiser and Mark Fleming, photographer