"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
North by East: Monumental Undertaking, Lynette L. Walther
North by East: One Dam Thing After Another, Joel Crabtree
North by East: Opportunity Knox, Brian Kevin
North by East: Out of its Shell, Will Grunewald
North by East: Prepare for Liftoff?, Jaed Coffin
North by East: Puppet Master, W. G.
North by East: Rescue Mission, Jean Kerr
North by East: Spilt Milk, Catie Joyce-Bulay
North by East: The Big Picture, Catie Joyce-Bulay
North by East: The Bus Stops Here, Jaed Coffin
North by East: the Colossus of Prospect Harbor, Joel Crabtree
North by East: The Great Maine Song Book, Joel Crabtree
North by East: the Iceman Carveth, Will Grunewald
North by East: The Iconic, Ironic Boat and Tote, Adrienne Perron
North by East: Vertical Integration, Will Grunewald
North by East: Wild and Wooly, Will Grunewald
North by Northeast: In the Same Boat, Jaed Coffin
Not Out of the Woods, Kate Ver Ploeg
Off-Grid Influencers, Jesse Ellison
Old York State of Mind, Brian Kevin
Over the Ocean Blue, Joe Ricchio
Park Service, Will Grunewald
"Photography Was the Way Out for Him", Jennifer Finney Boylan and Alec Hartman, photographer
Polar Plunge, Michaela Cavallaro
Putting Down Roots, Amber Kapiloff
Quite a Hosta Roster, Aurelia C. Scott
Rags to Riches, Sara Anne Donnelly
Raze Gone By, Brian Kevin
Rock of Ages, Susan Conley
Room With a View: A Climate of Sun and Fun?, Philip Conkling
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.