The Journey of Tennessee’s Poet Laureate, Margaret Britton Vaughn

Excited, I had a quick lunch, hopped in the car and headed for Bell Buckle, Tennessee where the Tennessee Poet Laureate, Margaret Britton Vaughn, resides. It was a cold, dreary December afternoon but the clouds did not hide the beauty of this quaint town nestled among the rolling hills of Tennessee, and a place that Margaret, known as Maggi, adores. People from all over the U.S. travel to this small town to visit Maggi. Maya Angelou and Bill Moyers are just a couple of celebrities that have made the trip to Bell Buckle to listen to the stories and counsel of Maggi. Bell Buckle is also home to the Moon Pie Festival each year in June.

Because of my own love of poetry and the fact that I had penned My Beloved Tennessee that became one of the official state poems, the meeting with Maggi became a priority for me. She did not disappoint. A joyful, lively lady with a southern accent told me, “come on in” when I knocked at the door. Glued to my chair, I was captivated by her wit, stories and history of 86 years on the earth. I hung on every word she spoke.  

Me and Maggi visiting at her home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Maggi loves to have people to visit her and has had many visitors from across the U.S. over the years.

Maggi’s journey of life began on July 16, 1938 in Murfreesboro, TN. Maggi will often talk of her admiration of her mother knowing that she struggled trying to raise two kids after Maggi’s father, Winfred Vaughn died. Killed in the line of duty as a fire fighter, Maggi does not remember him as she was only nine months old. When Maggi was four years old, she moved with her remarried mother and brother to Gulfport, Mississippi. Maggi’s stepfather was a Physical Therapist for the Veterans Administration, and remembers the move to Gulfport as providing better opportunities for her.

Maggi Pens her 1st Poem

Maggi’s first poem, Here I Sit Alone at the Bar, was penned while she was in 3rd grade. Disappointed, Maggi’s mother told her that being a nurse might be a better option. Offering no encouragement to Maggi, she continued to push for her to pursue another career. But this did not thwart Maggi’s dream of being a writer and poet. From early childhood, Maggi knew that she fostered a well of words within her heart and she was determined to share them with the world.

She recites a story of her history teacher in the 11th grade that decided one day that everyone would turn over their notebooks at the end of class. Panicked, Maggi thought that she was in serious trouble since her notebook was full of poems that she had written while in class. Impressed with Maggi’s poetry, the teacher complimented her on her work and told her to keep writing. You write your poems and history will come…this one statement was like rain on newly planted seeds and propelled Maggi to the next level of her work.    

Maggi went on to attend Perkinston Junior College and then transferred to Mississippi Southern College, but left the school without a degree in her senior year. Twenty-five years later, she completed her degree at Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in theater.

Country Music Stars Discover Maggi

Throughout her early adulthood, Maggi continued to polish her skills by working at the The Tennessean/Banner in advertisement. From early on she had written country songs which ended up in the hands of some icons in country music at the time. The Wilburn Brothers tapped Maggi for a position in the 1960s which led her to Loretta Lynn. They bonded over similar writing styles and collaborated throughout their careers. Maggi was a co-writer for Lynn's Grammy-nominated 2004 song "Miss Being Mrs. Lynn". She also wrote songs for Conway Twitter and Ernest Tubb.

Maggi at a black-tie event with Marty Moore. She enjoyed her speaking engagements and the many events to which she was invited.

Maggi ended up becoming a fixture at the famous Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman in downtown Nashville, Tennessee and loved every minute of it! Her first book of poems that was published was entitled 50 Years of Saturday Nights. Enamored with the limelight, she enjoyed taking friends backstage at the opry and continued to meet the who’s-who’s as she strolled the halls of the Ryman. About Margaret Britton Vaughn | Academy of American Poets

The Tennessee State Legislature names Margaret Britton Vaughn Poet Laureate in 1995

In 1995, the Tennessee State Legislature selected Margaret Britton Vaughn to be Tennessee's Poet Laureate citing her plays, collections, and books that she had written throughout her career and her performances and outreach throughout the state of Tennessee. Some of her highlights as poet laureate were writing Tennessee's bicentennial poem, inaugural poems for many Tennessee governors including current Governor, Bill Lee, and a poem to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US Air Force. In one of my visits, she assured me that Governor Don Sunquist kept her the busiest because he wanted a poem for every occasion. You can find Maggi’s book at The Light in the Kitchen Window: Poems: Vaughn, Margaret Britton: 9780916078355: Amazon.com: Books 

A plaque in honor of Margaret Britton Vaughn that is posted in the heart of Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Maggi is a beloved figure in this small town nestled in the hills of Tennessee.

As a prolific writer, Maggi has written some 2000 poems, 26 books, and at 86 years of age is about finished with her autobiography. I can’t wait to read it! Fanning the flame, she still pens poems and songs to paper every day even in the face of overcoming breast and kidney cancer.

Some of Maggi’s favorite poets are Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. One of her favorite poems is Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. When asked what advise she would offer to aspiring writers she noted 3 things…1) Keep writing 2) don’t let anyone discourage you 3) write about things that people can identify with and don’t impress them with big words.

Finally, the most interesting of the many stories that she shared with me is the one about the “tramp”. Early one morning she had a thought, vision, or premonition that a tramp knocked on her door. Of course she did what all good writers do, she got her pen and paper and wrote about it. Later that day a “tramp” knocked on the kitchen door while she was home alone. She opened the door and invited him in and gave him food from her refrigerator and offered him $6, of which he refused. He told her that he did not need her money and shortly left like he came. She never saw him again and concluded that it was either Jesus or an angel that He sent to test her on what her reaction would be to someone that did not “fit the part”. The story has stuck in her mind all these years and she considers it as a deeply spiritual experience.