Welcome to my first edition of Genii. Having spent 14 years producing a monthly magic magazine for London’s Magic Circle I had forgotten what it feels like not to have a print deadline rushing towards me. Now I have enjoyed a month away from that race (it was terribly relaxing) and am back at my computer, excited to get to work on these pages.
Of course a month without deadlines is not the same as one without work… for the past few months it has been an absolute pleasure to meet the team who have steered Genii for the last year, and to learn how they have skillfully shaped the magazine, whether editorially, aesthetically, or through administrative support. You can see most of their names listed on the facing page, but one is now missing, and I must add a particularly sizable thank you to the recently retiring executive editor, Jim Steinmeyer.
As a teenager, I recall reading occasional editions of Genii purchased from a London magic shop. The material was always exciting, but I also remember building a mental pantheon featuring the names of these astonishing magicians, living on the other side of the world and doing remarkable things. Jim was firmly within that list. Two decades later it is a thrill to count him as a friend, and to have benefited from his wisdom in many ways, including all the time he has spent talking about both the practicalities and philosophy of Genii. I have always admired Jim’s abilities as a sort of magical polymath—remarkably skillful whether devising a novel illusion, writing a book for the public, performing a parlor effect, conducting historical research, or creating a self-working card trick. Well now he can add “editing Genii” to that list of things he does exceptionally well.
I know I speak for the entire team when I offer our sincere thanks to Jim for all he has done in these pages—we very much hope you are enjoying your first month for a little while in which a deadline is not rushing toward you.
One of the sadder functions of Genii is to remember magicians we have recently lost, and this issue contains obituaries for Gordon Bruce and Hiawatha Johnson, Jr. I sometimes spent time with Gordon at various conventions, and found his historical knowledge and sleight-of-hand skill astonishing—I have seen other magicians execute a side steal and been unable to see the card being removed, but Gordon is the only person I have seen do one in such a way I didn’t believe it was possible for him to have removed the card. In the In Practice section of this issue we share one of Gordon’s card routines, which has been in the Genii files for some time—learn it to get a glimpse of who Gordon was as a magician, and perform it for someone else to keep his magic alive.
Unfortunately Hiawatha was someone whom I didn’t get the chance to meet, and whose work I was previously unaware of. The tribute to him that we have arranged for these pages made me realize my deficiency, and I was glad to discover other people sharing stories about the man and his work online. If you would like to read another reflection on Hiawatha’s magic, as well as his impact on a fellow performer, then look up Vince Wilson’s piece on his substack, substack.com/@vincewilsonmagi.
I can imagine that some Genii readers may have worried, on the announcement that your new editor is British, that the magazine might lose some of its American identity. Perhaps our first feature this month, in which Mike Costa explores the intersection between magic and a uniquely American art form, will help dispel that concern. I am fascinated by the intersection between magic and art or craft practices, and especially found Mike’s observation that magic and comics constitute story through similar mechanisms thought provoking.
One of the most significant events in the magic calendar last year was FISM, which took place in Turin in the summer. In our second feature, Richard Wiseman takes us back to that convention with a piece inspired by a series of conversations he hosted with Arturo Brachetti, Luís de Matos, Mac King, and Steven Frayne. The interviews were conducted one by one, but Richard’s choice to ensure that some of the same questions and themes came up each time has allowed him to compile some of their answers in a way that reveals areas of overlap, as well as some surprising points of difference.
Moving through our pages you will find a selection of our regular columnists, as well as a few new names. In Voices we welcome Jade, who shares valuable insights for both those who give and receive feedback. At some point that will include every single reader of Genii so do take a look, and remember that, as with many things, the more you think you are the exception to the rule the more likely it is that further thought on the matter will be worthwhile.
Later, as we step into Workshop, we welcome Laura Pulling with the first installment in a series that will offer actionable advice on online branding and marketing. Our final new voices are Rachel Wax and Prakash Puru, who meet for a conversation about style and character. In future issues you will see that their conversation branches out in some unexpected directions, but they start by offering solid, practical advice on how to dress when you perform. Oh, and don’t forget that, as with many things, the more you think you are the exception to the rule the more likely it is that further thought on the matter will be worthwhile.
As these new names begin their contributions, Alba is bringing her series in these pages to a close. Alba’s column has often been framed around important questions we should be asking of ourselves and our work. If you will miss those questions and the thoughts they provoke, then I do have some good news for you—while this is the last column in the series, Alba asks over 80 questions in it, and the answer to every single one will lead to incremental improvement in your magic.
As Jim announced in the January issue, this edition of Genii marks Noah Levine’s final one as our magic editor. Before joining the team I respected Noah’s taste and dedication. Now I have had the chance to spend a little time working with him and I have added his kindness to the list of traits I admire, especially with regard to the time he has spent helping me settle in at Genii, even as other demands on his time vie for his attention.
Noah’s impending departure added organizing a new magic editor to my to-do list. Inspired by Percy Thomas Tibbles we have decided to cut the role in two (distinctly hoping that the restoration phase of the sawing-in-half inspiration can be ignored). Moving forward we will have two magic editors, who will each broadly contribute to these pages every other month. In that way we hope that we can both broaden the field in which we find magic to share with you, and better allow the role to fit alongside the other commitments that allow an editor to reflect external experiences in these pages, rather than being consumed by the magazine. The editors who will be bringing that breadth of expertise to these pages are Benjamin Barnes and Lorenz Schär.
Benjamin is a busy Chicago-based professional, performing extensively for corporate audiences as well as appearing on shows like Fool Us and Masters of Illusion. In addition, he sees vast amounts of magic as the booker for the IBM national convention and also the Chicago Magic Lounge. Lorenz is a Swiss magician with a background in art history, comedy writing for television, and theater direction. He has shared some of his original magic in his book, Cards Against Reality, is a regular contributor to Denis Behr’s Conjuring Archive, and is very active in the European magic community. You will meet Benjamin in April’s issue, and Lorenz in May’s—I hope you are as excited as I am to see what they bring to these pages.