"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 2014
Mother of the Year, Will Bleakley
Newborn Hope, Meadow Rue Merrill
North Woods Awakening, Ron Joseph
Oddball Outing, B. K.
Paper or Plastic?, Michaela Cavallaro
Resting Place, Sandy Oliver
Riding the Big Gray Wave, Edgar Allen Beem
River Town, Virginia M. Wright
S.O.S. (Save Our Seals), Edgar Allen Beem
Sunday Best, Brian Kevin
The Cool on the Hill, Sara Anne Donnelly
The Elves of the North Woods, Caroline Praderio
The Great Blessing of the Water, Virginia M. Wright
The Green Crab Invasion, Edgar Allen Beem
The Last of the Monhegans, Will Bleakley
The Least We Can Do, Rob Sneddon
The Lost Tribe, V. M. W.
The Rarest of Them All, Virginia M. Wright
The Survivors, Brian Kevin
They Know the Ropes, Rob Sneddon
This is My Town, Michaela Cavallaro
Tied up in Knots, Thomas Urquhart
Tour de Fairfield, Brian Kevin
Trophy? What Trophy?, V. M. W.
Unquenchable Spirit, Edgar Allen Beem
Unshaken, Monica Wood
Up to Camp, Jon Reiner
Village in the Woods, Virginia M. Wright
Welcome to the Circus That is Black Bear Politics in Maine, Brian Kevin
What's in a Name, David Yellen and Michael Erard
Where is the Resort?, Jeff Clark
Why We Hunt, various authors
Winter at the Edge of America, Laurence Parent
Submissions from 2013
A Better Brew, Will Bleakley
A Fish Story, Virginia M. Wright
All Aglow., Laura Serino
All-Terrain Art., Virginia M. Wright
A New Twist on Old Things., Brooke Williams
An Eye for Detail., Brian Kevin
Appointment Viewing., Virginia M. Wright
A Public Affair., Meadow Rue Merrill
A Stunning First Impression., Laura Serino
A Summer Place, Virginia M. Wright
A Town for All Seasons., Michael D. Burke
A Whale of a Time., Will Bleakley