Robert Paolini, executive director of the Vermont Bar Association, has announced his intention to retire from the organization later this year.

This will technically be Paolini's second retirement from the post. He previously stepped down in 2016 after 20 years at the helm, but was enticed to return in July 2022 — initially as interim executive director and later on a permanent basis.

The Academy of American Poets has named Bianca Stone, Vermont’s current poet laureate, as a 2025 Poet Laureate Fellow. The honor carries a $50,000 award.

The fellowships recognize poets laureate for their literary excellence while enabling them to undertake impactful and timely projects that engage their communities through the transformative power of poetry. The program is funded by the Mellon Foundation.