"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
Have You Seen These Plants?, Aurelia C. Scott
Here Comes The Sun?, Michaela Cavallaro
House Tour: Happy Place, Sara Ann Donnelly
House Tour: Happy Place, Sara Ann Donnelly
House Tour: New Chapter, Sarah Stebbins
House Tour: Thrifter's Paradise, Sarah Stebbins
How did Gulf of Maine Lobster Get Canceled?, Kathryn Miles
In With the Old, Virginia M. Wright, Adrienne Perron, Brian Kevin, and Sarah Stebbins
Kelping Out, Will Grunewald
Labor of Love, Catie Joyce-Bulay
Legacy Keeper, Brian Kevin
Lost in the Valley?/Perdu Dans la Vallée?, Eric Boodman
Maine Homes: Artists' Retreats, S. S.
Maine Homes: Bright Spot, Sarah Stebbins
Maine Homes: Character Study, S. S.
Maine Homes: Creature Comforts, Sarah Stebbins
Maine Homes: Fantasyland, Virginia M. Wright
Maine Homes: Fun House, Michaela Cavallaro
Maine Homes: Go-Go Granny Flats!, S. S.
Maine Homes: Holly, Jolly, and Over the Top, Brian Kevin
Maine Homes: House Tour: Creative Collaboration, Sarah Stebbins
Maine Homes: House Tour: Sweet Spot, Sarah Stebbins
Maine Homes: House Tour: The Perks of Being a Wall Painter, Sara Anne Donnelly
Maine Homes: House Tour: What a Peach, Michaela Cavallaro
Maine Homes: Lord of the Gourds, Sara Anne Donnelly
Maine Homes: Officers' Quarters, S. S.
Maine Homes: One Plant Led to Another, Virginia M. Wright
Maine Homes: Strong Points, Sarah Stebbins
Maine Homes: You and She Could Write an Ag Romance, S. S.
Make Way for Dumplings, W. G.
My Favorite Place: Chase Morrill: Muleskinner, Saddleback Mountain, Rangeley, Adrienne Perron
My Favorite Place: Dan Cashman, Camp Natarswi, Baxter State Park, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Dr. Sarah Parcak: Seal Harbor Beach, Mount Desert Island, Jesse Ellison
My Favorite Place: Erin Ovalle, Greenville, Adrienne Perron
My Favorite Place: Ian Trask: Bowdoin College's Organic Garden, Brunswick, Joel Crabtree
My Favorite Place: Isabella Feracci: The Apprenticeshop Shop Floor, Rockland, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Nicolàs Alberto Dosman: Portland Headlight, Cape Elizabeth, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Noël Bonam: George Brook Flowage, Motahkomikuk, Brian Kevin
My Favorite Place: Oniqueky Samuels, Lonesome Pine Trails, Fort Kent, Will Grunewald
My Favorite Place: Terry Gerritsen, Lobster Lake, Piscataquis County, Bridget M. Burns
Nirav Shah is Ambivalent About his Celebrity (and Uncommonly Curious and Deliberate About Everything Else), Jesse Ellison
North by East: Artistic Feat, Joel Crabtree
North by East: a Sight to Seed, Will Grunewald
North by East: Borderline Crazy, Peter Andrey Smith
North by East: Branching Out, Peter Andrey Smith
North by East: Center Stage, Will Grunewald
North by East: Danny Mejia Runs This Town, David Howard
North by East: Deep Secrets, Michelle Christle
North by East: Holmes Turf, Brian Kevin
North by East: Last Picture Show, Kathryn Miles