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Everyone’s an Individual and Independent
In 2023, I read Paolo Bacigalupi‘s wonderful sci-fi novel, The Windup Girl. I would call it ecological dystopian fiction. It was his first adult audience book as he has written young adult books too. In The Windup Girl, Bacigalupi created a world that felt real – especially in light of higher temperatures, atmospheric rivers, and… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Falling Down
I’m not sure how to begin. A simple summary may suffice: this book wasn’t for me. There were times I wanted to set it aside and move on to another book. Falling Down (Chronos Publishing, 2022) is the first novel by UK artist and magician, Jay Fortune. Some of you may know him from his… Continue reading
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Nealist Questions to Wonder About
When I see performances of magic, my questions to the magicians are two: Who are you?What do you care about? Sometimes I am asking because I have received no clues other than that they watch Jeff McBride and read magic catalogs or magazines. And sometimes they find the questions difficult to answer. I do not… Continue reading
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Art and Magic
The discussion – some may say argument – of whether magic is art is evergreen. It pops up in the online forums as regular as dandelions in the spring. I don’t believe it will ever be settled to the satisfaction of either side of the fence. If you can find it, magician and filmmaker, R.… Continue reading
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Practice and Performance
Think of the time spent practicing sleight of hand and the improvements that can be achieved, well this applies to performance in exactly the same way… it’s a skill. When performing you are integrating many challenging and complex elements. You are also making discoveries about yourself, them and magic itself—the key is to do lots… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Ordinary Monsters
In religious circles, one is expected to tithe a portion of their income to support their congregation. While I don’t consider myself religious, I tithe when I visit a brick and mortar magic shop or an independent bookstore. I intentionally buy something to help keep the doors open. J.M. Miro’s Ordinary Monsters (Flatiron Books, 2022)… Continue reading
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What is Magic?
THREE Eugene was much wiser. From my point of view, this entire enterprise of setting forth acceptable (or even correct) definitions for words is fairly successful with labels such as “cat,” “sky,” and “tree.” One merely has to point. When it comes to heavily-loaded concept words, however, such as “love,” “justice,” “energy,” or “magic,” things… Continue reading