Fireside Chat: The New Sublime and Literature's Monumental Comeback
Fireside chat with Zina Gomez-Liss and Elijah Perseus Blumov
In this latest fireside chat, poets/critics Elijah Blumov and Zina Gomez join us to discuss the rise of a New Sublime, the proliferation of poetry outside the academy, and the role of narrative in shaping a new cultural landscape. After the first half of our discussion, the poets break into song, sharing timeless works by both past and living poetry, including A.E. Stallings, E.A. Robinson and Jared Carter.
Stayed tuned for our forthcoming New Lyre - Spring 2025 issue
This discussion on the sublime is itself sublime. Gomez and Blumov artfully defend their chosen formalist terrain, yet their conversation takes a subtle turn, one of advocacy rather than defensiveness. Both are more wedded to melos than to kairos, prizing the sonic and subtle aspects of poetry, Blumov enthusing about the epic possibilities of poetry, yet not excluding that which is writ small. David as always is a charming host, picking up on the others' cues in the cause of making poetry available to as many who will have it on reasonable terms. The cameraderie in this session carries the day. I blinked twice and an hour and a half had already gone by. These professionals have not lost the blush of being aficionados.