Kerschen is an educator and freelance writer. In this essay, she uses Stern’s own words from his interviews to show how Stern’s poetic practices were applied in “One of the Smallest.”

It is common practice in the study of literature to examine the life of the author in hopes of finding clues to the inspiration behind the work. Often researchers can learn about the literary philosophies and creative practices of poets prior to the twentieth century only through any writings they or their learned admirers left behind on the subject. Since newspapers, radio, television, scholarly journals, and the Internet have proliferated, information about every variety of artist usually takes just a quick investigation. A further advantage of studying a modern writer is the likely availability of interviews with the author. Although some are reclusive and rarely give interviews, Gerald Stern has...