MONTPELIER, Vt. – Baron Wormser, poet, essayist, novelist, and teacher, died of brain cancer at his home in Montpelier, Vt., with his family on Oct. 7, 2025.

He would like to be remembered for his writing, which include 10 books of poetry, including a posthumous volume that will be out in January: “James Baldwin Smoking a Cigarette and Other Poems”, as well as two co-authored books about teaching the art of poetry, and a memoir, “The Road Washes Out in Spring”, about his 23 years of living off the grid with his family. He also leaves behind four novels, a book of short stories, and many essays on his Substack, “The Exciting Nightmare”, and in the online journal, Vox Populi, among others.

He was recognized for his writing with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Guggenheim Foundation and was appointed Poet Laureate of Maine from 2001- 2005. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maine at Augusta in 2005.

A high school librarian for much of his life, Baron also taught writing at the Stonecoast, Fairfield University, and Western Connecticut MFA programs, and at the Frost Place, and was a respected and inspiring teacher, mentor, and editor for many writers.