ROCKPORT, Maine — Good magazines zig when others zag. They tell stories that are not only fresh and lively but unexpected.
In its November issue Down East took something often used in publishing -- what editor in chief Brian Kevin describes as the “’30 Under 30’ or ’40 Under 40’ features—‘power lists’ that spotlight up-and-comers in this or that field or discipline, letting readers know whom to keep an eye on.”
Down East, however, gave that formula a twist and, with a nod to Maine’s oldest-in-the-country population, compiled a list of 70 Over 70.
The people on the list are not celebrities, business tycoons, or wealthy summer residents.
“Those folks get plenty of ink already,” Kevin wrote in an email to 207. “Instead, we’ve tried to key in on folks who’ve broken barriers, who are considered heroes or legends in their communities, who’ve shown extraordinary dedication to their passions and plunged into new ones at an age when many of us are slowing down.”
Coming up with a list of 70 compelling people takes a lot of work, especially when they all fall into a fairly narrow demographic category, which is why the editors and writers got started on the project more than a year ago. The work paid off. Open the pages and you’ll be introduced to, among others, a 76-year-old “pioneering harvester of edible kelp.”
Now that’s an interesting person—and it’s someone you definitely won’t see on the “Forbes” list of the 400 Richest People in the World.
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