Many critics warmly received Stern’s Last Blue. For example, Carlos Reyes, writing on the collection for the book review section of Willamette Week Online, points out that, “like wine, [Stern’s] work only gets better with age. This is a rare book where each new reading brings us further insight into our existence.” A reviewer for a volume on American Writers, Jonathan N. Barron agrees, commenting that “One of the Smallest,” is a “visionary, even apocalyptic, tale of death, rebirth, and regeneration.” As to singing, noted Booklist critic Donna Seaman says that Stern “levitate[s] out of the ordinary to take in the big picture and to feel the lift, the free-floating, singing bliss of life.”

The focus on common events drew the notice of John Taylor, in his review of Last Blue for Antioch...