"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
At a Certain Age, Elizabeth Peavey
Band Together, Caroline Praderio
Bangor Rock City, Brian Kevin
Best of Maine 2014, Down East editors
Boxed Up, Caroline Praderio
Bridgton's Big Night, Rob Sneddon
Browsing on the Back Roads, Jeff Clark
Button Up, Virginia M. Wright
Caddy Camp, Karl Lindholm
Can Olympia Snowe Change Washington?, Kathleen Fleury and Virginia M. Wright
Climbing the March Hill, Sandy Oliver
Come spring, Kim Ridley
Day Trippers, Brian Kevin
Double Trouble, Rob Sneddon
Drawing the Line, Edgar Allen Beem
Early Morning at the Mill, Will Bleakley
Eight Blaze-y Nights, Brian Kevin
Empire Chinese Kitchen, Elizabeth Peavey
Escape from Spencer Lake, Ron Joseph
Fantastic Voyage, V. M. W.
Finding Her Form, Sara Anne Donnelly
Grammy's Country Inn, Hilary Nangle
Here Comes the Son, Jeff Clark
Hot Diggity Dogs, Elizabeth Peavey
Ice Man, Ralph Raffio
Ill-Fated Flight, Virginia M. Wright
Is This Girl Committing a Crime?, Rob Sneddon
King of the Air, Will Bleakley
Leader of the Pack, V. M. W.
Logarithm, Rob Sneddon
Making Tracks, Joshua Bodwell
Making Waves, Rob Sneddon
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