Genii Magazine, The Conjurors' Magazine

Genii Magazine, The Conjurors' Magazine GENII was founded in 1936 by William Larsen, Sr., and is now published by Genii Enterprises, LLC. It is the longest-running magazine devoted to magic.

Jim Steinmeyer is Executive Editor, taking over from Richard Kaufman, who retired in 2025. Genii, America’s renowned, longest-running magazine for magicians, has been published continuously since 1936. It was pioneered by William Larsen, Sr., and continued by the Larsen family and Richard Kaufman. It is now published by Genii Enterprises, LLC and the Executive Editor is Jim Steinmeyer, who took over duties after Kaufman retired in 2024.

Guest contributor David Belmonte shares some lovely memories, and indeed, lessons learned during Belmonte’s long-distanc...
10/04/2025

Guest contributor David Belmonte shares some lovely memories, and indeed, lessons learned during Belmonte’s long-distance conversation with Darwin Ortiz. We see the powerful influence such a conversation can have on how we view, absorb, and yes, perform magic. Thanks to Arto Airaksinen for supplying us with these wonderful photos of Ortiz.

Read the full piece on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/learning-from-darwin/

David Regal has put together a terrific Nest of Boxes variation, inspired by an episode he worked on for Everybody Loves...
10/03/2025

David Regal has put together a terrific Nest of Boxes variation, inspired by an episode he worked on for Everybody Loves Raymond. Yes, you will need to put together a few things to perform this particular version, but as David insists, there is a joy associated with that process, too. When you read how clever and satisfying it is to perform this effect, we think you will agree—and that you’ll be hunting down the items on the requirement list in short order!

Discover more at Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/grandmas-canisters/

He’s back! And we’re not entirely sure how he keeps going—but he does! OK, this month, Blake Vogt has invited Rune Kla...
10/01/2025

He’s back! And we’re not entirely sure how he keeps going—but he does!

OK, this month, Blake Vogt has invited Rune Klan to join him on the challenge to invent a magic trick inside of an hour. It’s always curious to see if they can do it; and this week, the guys don’t disappoint. The do a deep dive into their joint obsession over and around … wait for it … cups. (And true to inventor form, there is a very funny sidetracked—read: wandering around the room—conversation around card castles, but don’t worry, Blake keeps the whole project on track.) It’s actually a great “real time” demonstration around creativity—a masterclass in lateral thinking! Enjoy!

Read Blake’s piece on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/inventing-magic-with-rune-klan-slush-free/

And don’t forget to watch the video on his YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l98nUXFQg4Q

09/29/2025

This month, Adam Elbaum gives us a fun and direct way to let your audience get involved and hit super satisfying results. Sure, Elbaum makes it look easy! But you know what? If you just follow his instructions, you’ll find it’s not outside the realm of possibility. He also gives you an alternative presentation to toy around with. Totally worth having in your repertoire!

Learn the secret on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/spectator-cuts-to-the-aces/

Video courtesy of Adam Elbaum

OK, let’s dig into some magic now! This month, Richard Kaufman drills down and gives us a simple, direct, and non-sleigh...
09/27/2025

OK, let’s dig into some magic now! This month, Richard Kaufman drills down and gives us a simple, direct, and non-sleight version of Triumph that lets you use a shuffled deck—a treasure from Kaufman’s friend Kazuyuki Hase.

Wait, an impromptu version? From a borrowed, shuffled deck? Just how does one get into that? Well, thanks to some clever thinking from Hase, it’s not as impossible as it sounds. As Kaufman says, it is “simple, and extremely powerful.”

Learn the “Impromptu Play it Straight” on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/impromptu-play-it-straight/

Illustration by Ever Elizalde

“In my first class as a theater major our professor said, ‘I’m going to attempt to demystify theater for you.’ His words...
09/26/2025

“In my first class as a theater major our professor said, ‘I’m going to attempt to demystify theater for you.’ His words introduced me to the idea that mysterious subjects can be made clear, and even quantified. Now it’s my turn to attempt to demystify becoming an illusionist, or at least help point you toward your first real illusion.”

This month Jason Bishop does just that! He demystifies stage illusions, and shows you how to turn them into a specialty.

Discover the full article on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/the-evolution-of-an-illusionist/

Photo courtesy of Jason Bishop

After many decades, David Bamberg’s wish to have his autobiography published in Spanish has finally come to fruition—tha...
09/24/2025

After many decades, David Bamberg’s wish to have his autobiography published in Spanish has finally come to fruition—thanks to devotion of Martín Pacheco, the editor and publisher of *Una Vida Para La Magia*. The book was first published in English in 1988 as *Illusion Show*. It has been renowned as one of magic’s great autobiographies. It was a book written by a magical savant about the ideals and the frustrations of our craft: the art and the reality.

Pacheco release the Spanish version earlier this year, but it is hardly just a reproduction. As Richard Hatch pointed out in the *Genii* review of this book back in July, it is stuffed to the gills with new images, new stories, and never-before-published material. How did this all come to be? Pacheco tells all in his essay, “The Story of *Una Vida Para La Magia,”* which was translated from Spanish to English by Roberto Mansilla. We also get to hear from the biographer himself, in an essay that was omitted from his first book. The prologue sheds new light not only on Bamberg’s intentions but also on is dedication and genius.

Read the full piece on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/una-vida-para-la-magia-an-appreciation/

Photo courtesy of Martin Pacheco

What does it take to produce one of magic’s most popular events year over year? How do you plan so far in advance and ke...
09/22/2025

What does it take to produce one of magic’s most popular events year over year? How do you plan so far in advance and keep everything top-secret? How do you plan for contingencies? Stan Allen, the producer and creative force behind MAGIC Live Convention, discusses the goals, the challenges, and the philosophy that keeps bringing audiences back to Las Vegas with Genii.

Read the full Q&A on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/stan-allen-on-magic-live/

Photo by Josh Chaikin / MAGIC Live

MAGIC Live Convention turned 15 this year, and Genii editor Vanessa Armstrong was there to capture it all. From a 12-ye...
09/20/2025

MAGIC Live Convention turned 15 this year, and Genii editor Vanessa Armstrong was there to capture it all. From a 12-year-old first-timer to AI experiments, headphone theater, and Doug Henning’s *World of Magic* exhibit, this year’s theme—“Stories”—came to life onstage and off.

Read all about this amazing convention on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/the-stories-onstage-at-magic-live

09/19/2025

Mat Franco's first decade after America’s Got Talent has been historic, and wonderfully magical. For our October cover story, Carl Mercurio looks back at how his iconic Las Vegas show first started and where it is today. As Mercurio writes, “One other thing is clear after more than 2,750 performances: Franco wants you to feel the same joy watching magic that he feels performing magic.”

Read the full piece on Genii Magic: https://www.geniimagic.com/living-the-dream/

Video courtesy of Mat Franco Magic Reinvented Nightly

Welcome to the October issue of Genii! As we look for signs of autumn, we are thrilled to finally share our new website ...
09/18/2025

Welcome to the October issue of Genii! As we look for signs of autumn, we are thrilled to finally share our new website geniimagic.com. All magazine subscribers are entitled to full, premium access, which means you can now read your new Genii content from the convenience of your devices. More digital features are on the way, so keep checking back!

What’s inside October? Executive editor Jim Steinmeyer shares the highlights in this months Genii Speak, joined by special guest Mac King. Our cover story celebrates a decade since Mat Franco’s *America’s Got Talent* win. Carl Mercurio looks at how he put together his groundbreaking show, and where it is today. And speaking of Vegas, Vanessa Armstrong takes us through The Stories Onstage at MAGIC Live. Don’t miss her chat with producer Stan Allen, on what it takes to put on such a convention.

We also feature Martín Pacheco of Argentina, who has put decades of work into bringing the David Bamberg story back into the Spanish-speaking world. We learn more about this journey and hear from Bamberg himself in his essay “The Question of Ethics.” It’s a wonderful package of stories, translated by Genii columnist Roberto Mansilla.

And that’s just the beginning! As always, Genii is chockfull of magic—exciting new tricks, forgotten favorites, and so much more. You’ll just have to head over to geniimagic.com to see what’s happening for October.

Address

3440 Lehigh Street , PMB 316
Allentown, PA
18103

Telephone

+13016525800

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Genii Magazine, The Conjurors' Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Genii Magazine, The Conjurors' Magazine:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category