Mailbox, April 2026

A month with a monthly magazine, and some notes—and corrections!

Genii Editors
Mailbox, April 2026

Sketch Poker Correction

In the January issue there is a card effect called Sketch Poker. The last full paragraph on page 49 describes the method for collecting the six packets, but makes no sense to me. I would appreciate it if someone could provide me with a clearer explanation. Thanks in advance for your attention to this matter.

—Glenn Begert

Will Houstoun responds: Thanks for your note, Glenn, you are completely right that a left/right slip made its way into the trick. The sentence that describes how the packets are assembled should read, “Gather them up by picking up 6, to your right, then put 5 on top, 4 on top of that, etc., until you drop the single card, 1, atop the entire packet.” The position check on the following page should then read, “Here’s a quick summary, so you can remember the sequence. Deal six. One more on 1. Two more on 2. Two more on 3. Four more on 4. One more on 5.”

Golden Nuggets

Just wanted to let you know, I thought your February issue was gold. I’ve been a magician member of the AMA for 24 years, but only recently (since I retired from a non-magical career) began really taking the time to read through all that Genii has to offer.

There were many valuable nuggets this month, but James Harrington’s The Currency of Connection alone was so insightful and useful to me personally. I find many philosophical-type articles to be somewhat interesting, but often lacking practical application. This was different. The idea was not unique, but the way it was explained just connected with me more, with simple, practical ways to apply it to my magic.

—Scott Slade

Will Houstoun responds: Delighted that you enjoyed the issue, Scott, all credit to our editor emeritus, Jim, and the rest of the team. I agree that James’ column offers a wealth of actionable advice. And while I personally do love thinking about the philosophy and theory of magic, there comes a point at which, if these ideas don’t find practical application, they are about as useful as a subscription to a magazine that one never reads.

Reading the Small Print

I just received Genii from my binder. I was looking forward to them and having flicked through them I have one bit of criticism and that’s the small writing. It was pretty small before and I struggled. Now it’s even smaller.

One good thing, for balance, I noticed a couple of articles by one of my favorite magicians, Jerry Sadowitz, which you don’t see too much nowadays in magazines or books.

—Andrew Woodhouse

Will Houstoun responds: You may have noticed in last month’s issue that we have made some changes to the type. Thanks to the hard work of our creative director, Brad Aldridge, and layout manager, Lucinda Siegler, we have subtly increased the size and spacing of the type throughout the magazine, as well as changing the alignment to make it easier to follow the text on the page.

A Month With Genii

I’ve noticed a pattern the last few months. I’m calling this my “monthly Genii flow.” 

Day one: new Genii arrives. Break it open. Flip through, admiring pictures. Maybe read a review or two if they stand out. 

Days two to four: read Genii Speak. Read The Eye to see if there’s anything I need to be aware of this month. Read one or two of the cover stories that pop out to me.

Rest of week one: maybe another cover story. Read one or two of the columns.

Week two: almost nothing. Saving it because I don’t want to go through it too quickly. Maybe I’ll open it in the app on break at work and try to read some columns.

Week three: realize I’m behind. Start reading everything I didn’t read to catch up before the next issue comes.

Week four: I’ve abandoned the book I read before bed so I can finish Genii on time. If the new issue comes before I’m done, I’ll still be working on the previous issue at night.

That’s how the month goes for me in terms of Genii. I’m still working my way through this month’s issue though, and looking forward to what is still in store. Keep up the great work.

— Ethan Gordon

Will Houstoun responds: By my calculations you might be reading this around week three, in which case I hope you enjoyed Justin Higham’s column on Easter eggs, apologies there was no chocolate involved. If I am wrong then please accept my sincere apologies for the spoiler regarding the lack of chocolate.

📬 Have something to tell us?

We encourage your comments, suggestions, and prohibitions. Reach us with the speed of email at editors@geniimagazine.com. We are, as the original genie insisted, here to serve.

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MailboxNewsApril 2026