by daithí
Earlier this year, the Poetry Society of Vermont Executive Council appointed Buffy Aakaash as the new Editor of The Mountain Troubadour. I asked Buffy a few questions recently to offer PSOV members a snapshot of his background and character.
daithi’: What can you tell us about you and poetry? How long have you been involved in its magic?
Buffy: I’ve been writing poetry since I was a preteen. I recently discovered a poetry book I’d created as a school project when I was maybe 8 or 10 years old. It was a present to my dad for Father’s Day. He was a sailor who loved the ocean, so it was a book of poems about nautical things, haikus and short poems with fantastical drawings of sea creatures.
daithi’: What experience and background have you had with poetry and with publications that the PSOV members should know about?
Buffy: I started writing poetry more often a little over 20 years ago, and had some publication successes. When Covid struck I found myself sheltering in place in a cabin off the grid in the wilds of New Mexico. I decided to spend that time working on a book based on one of the poems that had been published in 2007, “How to Untangle a Knot.” That book became my first published chapbook, Untangling the Knots, which was a book of “How to…” poems addressing the deeper aspects of the mundane things that we do. My second book of poems, called Breaking, was published this October. In addition to writing poetry, I’m a freelance book and web designer, and manuscript editor, so when the position of Editor of The Mountain Troubadour opened up, it seemed a natural transition for me to move into that role.
daithi’: Recently, you have hosted our monthly on-line Poetry workshop. What has that experience been like?
Buffy: When I first moved to Vermont, I joined a group called Otter Creek Poets (OCP) in Middlebury, which has been meeting weekly for over 25 years. I live a long way from Middlebury, but they had started offering an online option during the pandemic. Being part of a regular poetry group opened my eyes to the importance of sharing our poetry with other people and hearing the initial reactions to things we are working on. Poetry is such a solitary endeavor for the most part. So I decided to offer our monthly online PSOV poetry group with a similar structure to OCP. It’s been a phenomenal success I think. We have a group of regulars, who are learning each other’s poetry styles. And then every month we have new people joining in, who are so nicely welcomed by our sort of “core” group. I feel it’s very appreciated by the members. Hearing all our attending members’ delicious work, I learn more about poetry every time, as well.
daithi’: Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Buffy: I’m excited and delighted to take a more integral role in creating the 2026 edition of our historically esteemed publication, The Mountain Troubadour. And to be working with the PSOV Editorial Board in putting together the best one yet.
daithi’: Is there any truth to the rumor that Bodhi will be a proofreader or copy editor in the upcoming publications?
Buffy: Bodhi has been dubbed by our current PSOV President, Joy, as the local “Poet Dog Laureate.”
daithi’: With that kind of title, how can he not play a role?
Buffy: He already attends local readings with me…and well… truth be told I barely do anything without his approval.
Footnote: In addition to being the new Editor of The Mountain Troubadour, Buffy has served on the PSOV Board as the Treasurer since 2023, and is the founder and current host of the monthly PSOV Online Poetry Group.
Note: New PSOV board members take over previous member email addresses. If you emailed the PSOV Editor in the past, you may have issues directing it to Buffy, simply go to your email contacts and delete the previous contact for ed****@********************nt.org and create a new contact for Buffy Aakaash, PSOV Editor using ed****@********************nt.org.
( photo of Buffy & Bodhi from: https://www.buffyaakaashpoetry.com)