Genii Magazine - August 2025

The Genii Speaks • Jim Steinmeyer

Mailbox Our features on Deaf magicians and magic theater; our plans for Genii online

The August Almanac

Madame Herrmann’s career; Rawson’s eggbeater; Thurston’s little wire loops

The Eye • Vanessa Armstrong Off-Broadway… in Bolton… on Netflix… to Omaha…outside a telephone box

Eclectica • Chris Power A great magician appears at the perfect moment

The Genii Questionnaire • David Regal Confronted by our quiz, the magician/author abandons Hot Rod, wonders about Lisa Noonan

The Magician vs. The Effect • Peter Lamont Defining our relationship to the miracles that are occurring

What’s the Deal With Hack Lines? • Krystyn Lambert Getting personal instead of settling for generic

STUDIO NOIR, BEHIND THE LENS WITH ZAKARY BELAMY This Paris-based photographer has been celebrating great magicians in stunning portraits. He explains the artistry and the technical diligence that make it possible. By Noah Levine

CAN YOU TEACH ME THAT? After performing his popular stage show, Kevin Spencer now focuses on changing lives. It’s a chance to understand magic in a new way. By Vanessa Armstrong

CHARLIE WINN’S EDUCATED PIG Ben Butler, a farmyard denizen, became a fairground star in 19th-century America. He was actually part of an old show business tradition.

Magicana • Richard Kaufman An unpublished trick from the celebrated Michael Skinner: The Ambitious Aces

Inventing Magic • Blake Vogt Journey to the Center of the Map, with Joshua Jay

Finger on the Pulse • Dan White Adding an unexpected heartbeat to your mentalism

Blackjack Transpo • Adam Elbaum A blackjack-based mystery from the writer’s repertoire

Out in Force • Jim Steinmeyer Four people find four aces—a nearly self-working trick

The Magic Castle • Shawn McMaster Inviting Houdini for a very special kind of séance

Illusion Magic Lounge • Vanessa Armstrong Santa Monica’s home of stage and close-up magic marketplace

Best in Show • Jeff Prace Nielsen Magic and the artistry of Lupe Nielsen

Staff Picks: Misdirections San Francisco’s popular magic shop specializes in…everything!

Book Reviews Todd Karr’s Bibliography of Magic; Second Wind; Devil’s Tarot; The Retreat Packet from Egypt; Practicing the Art of Magic; Animal Wizards

Trick Reviews Tongue Tied; Mental Block; InstruMental; Holding Pattern; Play Duh

Advertisers Index

The Ghost Scope • Dr. Matt Pritchard Curating wonders and making ghosts, the old-fashioned way

Judging Suggestions • Pete McCabe Evaluating ideas and learning what can change

Let’s Make a Deal • Sara Crasson What makes contracts helpful instead of scary perspectives

Sleightly Astonishing • Jim Hagy How to discuss magic secrets, Paul Fleming, and Karl Germain

What We Lose When Magic Shops Disappear • Ben Winn Teller’s memories of the Philadelphia emporiums

A Spring Snake Symphony • Eric Buss Supremely silly, and then amazingly sillier

Coffee With… Steve Cohen The Chamber Magic innovator on broken plates, kitchens, and Malini