The Collidescope aims to publish writing that is subversive in nature, that is art for art’s sake.
There is a difference between a writer simply telling a story (or telling a story simply) and creating a work of art. We love to see the mental fireworks of a writer wrestling with their imagination, with language itself.
All one has to do is look at what Joyce accomplished. Ulysses alone broke every rule and then some. A century later, many writers are still afraid to step outside of the rules. Luckily, there is a kaleidoscope of other writers who have fearlessly gone wherever language has led them and have produced astounding works, such as Jorge Luis Borges, Angela Carter, David Foster Wallace, Wendy Walker, Salman Rushdie, Kojo Laing, Clarice Lispector, Vladimir Nabokov, etc. Such is the kind of writing we live to read.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Collidescope are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Collidescope. Any content provided by our authors is their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, etc.
Disclosure: The Collidescope is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a small commission if you click through those specific links and make a purchase.
Praise for what we do at The Collidescope
“The reviews George Salis wrote on these books are among the smartest, most insightful writing I’ve read on most of them, far more meaningful than the usual book review….”
– Steve Tomasula, author of VAS: An Opera in Flatland
“George Salis is a highly good guy. I’m thankful for his essential and important efforts on behalf of all of us.”
– Evan Dara, author of The Lost Scrapbook
“It’s so good knowing George Salis is fighting the good fight in the world of innovative writing practices.”
– Lance Olsen, author of My Red Heaven
“I thank George Salis for furthering the cause of humane letters with The Collidescope.”
– John E. Woods, translator of Arno Schmidt, Thomas Mann, and others
“I’ve checked out The Collidescope and loved what I found.”
– Joseph McElroy, author of Women and Men
“Thought-provoking. Edited with an eye for what is fresh or lost or both. If you haven’t been reading what George Salis posts on The Collidescope, you’re missing out on lively, engaged, bold, and vital takes on some truly interesting writers.”
– Patricia Eakins, author of The Hungry Girls and Other Stories
“The Collidescope is ‘alive’ and singular.”
– Liliane Giraudon, author of Fur and Pallaksch, Pallaksch
“It’s always ‘life-giving’, no, at this stage of my life—’life-saving’ to find a reader of George Salis’ evident skills and imagination and most important—love of literature.”
– Richard Kalich, author of The Nihilesthete
“On many levels, George Salis is a great force for hope in literature.”
– Michael Brodksy, author of Xman
“I’m glad we have someone younger as The New Chronicler.”
– Mark Moskowitz, director of Stone Reader
“Wow! That may be the best review I’ve ever seen on Darconville’s Cat. George Salis is right to focus on the language, for that’s the true glory of the novel, and the ‘misandrist’s library’ is a hoot!”
– Steven Moore, author of The Novel: An Alternative History
“George Salis is the antidote to the prevailing narrowness of too much contemporary fiction. Readers seem to expect little more than naturalistically accurate accounts of who we are in the moment as if the moment isn’t fluid. The slicing of life seems to be the only business of so many publishers, flattering our smuggest identities.”
– Alan Singer, author of The Inquisitor’s Tongue
“Wow—I think George Salis may be single-handedly recreating the book review genre! What a rich and delectable feast of words, puns, allusions, jibes, gushes, and above all (recursively of course) lists!”
– Douglas Robinson, translator of Volter Kilpi and Aleksis Kivi
“In addition to being a discerning reader and incisive critical voice, George Salis is a gifted creative writer and brings a prose style worthy of a Theroux review.”
– Chris Via, BookTuber at Leaf by Leaf
Staff
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
George Salis is the author of Sea Above, Sun Below. His fiction is featured in The Dark, Black Dandy, Zizzle Literary Magazine, House of Zolo, Three Crows Magazine, and elsewhere. His criticism has appeared in Isacoustic, Atticus Review, and The Tishman Review, and his science article on the mechanics of natural evil was featured in Skeptic. He is currently working on an encyclopedic novel titled Morphological Echoes. He has taught in Bulgaria, China, and Poland. He’s the winner of the Tom La Farge Award for Innovative Writing. Find him on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, and at www.GeorgeSalis.com.
Poetry Editor
Nicole Melchionda is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in various journals, such as Abyss & Apex, Helios Quarterly Magazine, and Brindle & Glass. Her work has been nominated for the WSFA Small Press Award and twice for the Best of the Net Anthology.
Regular Contributor
Garrett Zecker is a writer, actor, and teacher of writing, literature, and theatre. He holds an MA in English from Fitchburg State University and an MFA in Fiction from the Mountainview MFA. His fiction and nonfiction work has been featured in many publications, most recently Parhelion, Black Dandy, Porridge, and The New Guard. He is the co-founder of Quabbin Quills, a nonprofit foundation focused on literary publications, free writers workshops, and high school scholarships for writers in Central and Western Massachusetts. Some of his Collidescope contributions include a Robert Lopez interview and an Ishmael Reed/Carla Blank review. Find him on Twitter and at GarrettZecker.com.
Our Editor-in-Chief’s Debut Novel
Sea Above, Sun Below by George Salis
Order the American edition here.
Order the overseas edition here.
Upside-down lightning, a group of uncouth skydivers, resurrections, a mother’s body overtaken by a garden, aquatic telepathy, a peeling snake-priest, and more. Sea Above, Sun Below is influenced by Western myths, some Greek, some with biblical overtones, resulting in a fusion of fantastic dreams, bizarre yet beautiful nightmares, and multiple narrative threads that form a tapestry which depicts the fragility of characters teetering on the brink of madness. Within you will find flashes of immolation and mutilation, transubstantiation threaded through thematic and genealogical membranes in a literary voice composed of whispers over wails.
“I have read Sea Above, Sun Below with great delight, find it ‘a cacophony of jubilation,’ and I love the boldness of Salis’ characters, his wit, and the dash of his writing. There is electricity on every page, reminding me of what Dr. Sam Johnson said of Dr. Birch, ‘As soon as he takes up his pen, it turns into a tornado.’”
– Alexander Theroux, author of Darconville’s Cat and Laura Warholic
“George Salis has an exhilarating gift. The overall breadth of the book, the cinematic quality, and the ease with which he juggles all the voices are terrific. It’s masterfully orchestrated, vast in scope, and fearless.”
– Rikki Ducornet, author of the Tetralogy of Elements
“The prose is delightfully various in its effects and the humor has propulsive force. I was really impressed with Salis’ ability to move between styles and genre riffs with such elan. Sea Above, Sun Below is quite distinctive—an adventurous read.”
– Alan Singer, author of The Inquisitor’s Tongue and Memory Wax
“Sea Above, Sun Below is dazzling, so imaginative, original, and fierce. I took great pleasure in it.”
– Lee Siegel, author of Love in a Dead Language and Typerotica
The Collidescope 