A periodic collection of websites, podcasts, and other digital content:
The Egypt Magic: Steve Bryant’s monthly blog is one of the originals. The posts stretch back to December 1997 which is a very long ago in internet time. Steve shares book, video and product reviews, convention experiences, and occasional personal stories. It’s well worth your time.
Penguin Magic Podcast: (Available through your favorite podcast app) While being a marketing tool for Penguin Magic, host Erik Tait does an excellent job interviewing magicians known and known. He skillfully avoids the common, run of the mill questions and keeps each episode around 30 minutes in length. There’s a commercial at the mid-point however interested listeners are rewarded with a discount code for the product of the week. There have been some great interviews over the years. I wasn’t able to find an archive but it be available on your favorite podcast app.
Conjuring Arts Research Center: Headed by magician and historian, William Kalush, the Conjuring Arts Research Center is “a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of performance magic and its allied arts, which include deceptive gambling techniques, science and history of playing cards, mentalism, ventriloquism, juggling, psychology of deception, variety arts, psychic phenomenon, hypnosis and sleight of hand techniques.” Access to its resources is membership based with the lower cost Charlier (Bronze) Yearly Membership starting at $95. This includes two issues of the book sized periodical, Gibecière, that has wonderful features on magic history edited by Stephen Minch. I’ve been a member since CARC began. Highly recommended.
The Why Files: My wife found this and shared it earlier this year and I’m so grateful. It’s a YouTube channel “for people who are fascinated (obsessed) with mysteries, myths, legends and conspiracies. We tell stories, seek the truth, and have a few laughs along the way.” It’s funny, engaging, educational, and well written and produced. Episodes have explored UFOs, time travel, cryptozoology, and other strange events and phenomena. They range from 10 minutes to about an hour. Hecklefish rocks.
