"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 2022
Room With a View: At Year's End, It's About People, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: Circe's Island, Philip Conkling and Peter Ralston, photographer
Room With a View: Eeling and Dealing, Philip Conkling
Room With a View: Fanfare for the Common Bird, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: Just Say No?, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: Lessons on Community - And its Fragility, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: Summah People, Some Ahn't, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: Summer of the Striper, Philip Conkling and Peter Ralston, photographer
Room With a View: The Forest for the Trees, Philip Conkling
Room with a View: The Speed of Spring, Philip Conkling and Peter Ralston, photographer
Running Commentary, Brian Kevin, Adrienne Perron, Jaed Coffin, and Kathryn Miles
Running Commentary: Born to Run, Jaed Coffin
Running Commentary: River People, Kathryn Miles
Salt Cream Seafood Heat, Alexandra Hall
Stalk of the Town, Katy Kelleher
Sticking It Out, Arielle Greenberg
Sweeping on the Job, Adrienne Perron
Taking the Long View, Kate Cough [text] and Alex MacLean [photos]
Tales From the Borderlands, Down East staff writers
The Amazing Cider Man, W. G.
The Golden Age of Maine Pizza is Now!, Brian Kevin
The Golden Age of Maine Pizza is Now!: Standing Pat, Joe Ricchio
"The Kind of Meat My Camera Likes", Brian Kevin
The State of Maine v. Parole, Will Grunewald
The Ultimate Maine Summer Guide, Joyce Kryszak, Adrienne Perron, Bridget M. Burns, Mira Ptacin, Brian Kevin, and Will Grunewald
The Wolf of State Street?, Peter Andrey Smith
Timeline: Old Soles, Adrienne Perron
Uncertain Ground, Kate Olson
Wader Fabricator, Adrienne Perron
What a Maine Road Trip Taught Eleanor Roosevelt, Kate Ver Ploeg
Where Have All the Phalaropes Gone?, Willy Blackmore
Where Have All the Phalaropes Gone?, Willy Blackmore and Jada Fitch, illustrator
Where to Stay Now, Brian Kevin and Adrienne Perron
White Mountain Majesties, Down East staff writers
White Mountain Majesties: Notch Your Average Towns, Brian Kevin
White Mountain Majesties: Old Whites Guys, W. G.
White Mountain Majesties: Only Show in Town, Joel Crabtree
Submissions from 2021
6th Annual Down East Reader Photo Contest, Down East editorial staff
70 Over 70: A Bit out of the Oar-dinary, Monique Brouillette
70 Over 70: Art is Long, E. A. B.
70 Over 70: Breaking the Cycle, Jesse Ellison
70 Over 70: Dancing Queen, A. P.
70 Over 70: Dawnland Defender, A. P.
70 Over 70: Don't Call it a Granny Shot, Adrienne Perron
70 Over 70: Double Vision, J. K.
70 Over 70: Faith, Love, and Legacy, M. W.
70 Over 70: Fifty Years, Seven Acres, and the Sea, Joyce Kryszak
70 Over 70: Find Him at the Helm, Edgar Allen Beem
70 Over 70: Fit as a Fiddle, Busy as a Bee, W. G.
70 Over 70: Friendship That Floats, Peter Van Allen