"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 2013
Back to the Land 2.0., Kim Ridley
Battle on the Barrens., Richard W. Thackeray Jr.
Belles of the Ball., Virginia M. Wright
Best of Maine 2013, Down East editors
Bite, Dine, Feed, Wolf…Eat Your Way Through Maine's Hottest Dining Trends., Caroline Praderio
Blueberry Rakers., Richard Russo
Boothbay Approves., Will Bleakley
Branded., Virginia M. Wright
Building a Better Brew., Brian Kevin
Bullwinkle's., Nancy Heiser
Casco Bay Blight., Edgar Allen Beem
Cavity Crusaders., Will Bleakley
"Chefs Today Are Nothing But a Bunch of Punks.", Ralph Raffio
Colby's $100 Million Masterpiece., Deborah Weisgall
Color Show., Laura Serino
Cowgirl., Joshua Bodwell
Dolphin Marina and Restaurant., Virginia M. Wright
Down East Horror Show., Mary Pols
Fantasyland., Hilary Nangle
Fee Simple Absolute, Ted Gup
Fighting over Fireworks., Edgar Allen Beem
Gardening for Good Health., Meadow Rue Merrill
Gather., Michaela Cavallaro
Ghosts in the Garden., Ken Textor
Gliders, Virginia M. Wright
Group Effort., Edgar Allen Beem
Head of State., Cynthia Anderson
Home Kitchen Café., Nancy Heiser
How They Roll., Brian Kevin
Hunt, Gather, and Cook., Sandra L. Oliver
If the Midcoast Had a Times Square, This Would Be It., Will Bleakley
In Conversation with Richard Ford., Wayne Sheridan
Island Delight., Virginia M. Wright
Kittery's Catwalk., Virginia M. Wright
Lakeside Living., Laura Serino
Last Rose Standing, Richard Grant
Light Years Ahead, Joshua Bodwell
Local Heroes., Virginia M. Wright
Long, Strange, Lonely Trail., Robert Moor
Maine at Work., Down East editors
Mainer’s Ale-manac, Brian Kevin
Maine's Songbird Highway., Kim Ridley
Making Memories., Caroline Praderio
Mantled in Fire and Smoke, Jerry Desmond
Marijuana in Maine., Jeff Clark
Martha, Martha, Martha!, Brooke Williams