Genii Magazine – September 2025

The Cover

This 8th issue of the new Genii era features Jason Latimer looking (to me!) like a cyborg to call attention to the cover story by Vanessa Armstrong on his Impossible Science project, bringing an immersive, fun STEM program to schools.

The Genii Speak

Executive Editor Jim Steinmeyer talks through the issue, calling attention to his video interviews with Abby Segal and John Gaughan, and concluding with a few words about the magazine's marketplace reviews.

Columns

The Almanac for September points out dates for De Yip Loo, William Lindsay Gresham and even David Seth Kotkin (born Sept 16, 1956) who once offered tips in Genii on the dancing cane, including an offer of thread for the same.
In Memoriums: Dustin Stinett on Dai Vernon's great friend Bill Bowers.
Andi Gladwin on the great Wayne Dobson.
The Eye features the latest news, opening with an upcoming (in September and October) USA tour by Germany's magic superstars, the Ehrlich Brothers, who fill rockstar stadiums at home.
It closes with another news item from Germany, a planned musical comedy/opera on Helmut Schreiber, aka Kalanag to open in Dresden next year.

Features

In addtion to the aforementioned cover story on Jason Latimer (who was featured at FISM and received a special award there this year), "Postcards from FISM" feature the perspective of Lupe Nielsen, who has attended many conventions, but never a FISM, and street magic contestant Felice Ling gives her perspective and some advice for those thinking of competing in that category next time (presumably in Busan, Korea in 2028).
Jim Steinmeyer and Steve Dick take a deep dive into the history and variant versions of the venerable Die Box.

In Practice

Richard Kaufman's Magicana column features Jared Kopf's impromptu version of Pseudo-Psychometry using business cards.
Blake Vogt spends an hour brainstorming with choreographer Hok, creating a floating cube in the process.
Jerry Sadowitz's describes his late friend Douglas Cameron's version of Paul Curry's classic Out of this World.
Roberto Mansilla describes an easy (!) stand up version of Any Card at any Number (ACAAN, aka, the Berglas Effect).
Abby Segal describes her coins across to a sealed Mason Jar.

Voices

Alba on interacting effectively with audiences.
R Paul Wilson responds to the Genii Questionaire.
Annanya George interprets McLuhan's "medium is the message" dictum for the media of magic.

Marketplace

Kella Kruebbe, a student at Tulane in New Orleans, is given $100 to spend on magic and used it to review Mesika's Spider Pen X and Sans Minds Shadow.
Book reviews by David Kuraya, James Alan, Michael Claxton and Noah Levine of Comedy, Character & Control by Michael Misko, The Balloon Busker's Ultimate Guide by Jay Collen, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, Six by Dani DaOrtiz, and Lesser Magic by John Wilson.
Video reviews by Joe Turner and James Alan of videos by Tony Clark, Azim Guliyev, Mark James, Mario Lopez, Kyle Purnell, and Javi Benitez.
Unnamed "industry professionals" review 2" Sponge Balls from Penguin, Rizki Nanda's Super Extra and Dan Harlan's Ritual.

Workshop

David Kaye on things left behind at kids' shows.
Professor Reinhard Hohlfeld with reflections on mirrors.
Psychotherapist Ian Flinn with thoughts on the process of listening.

Perspectives

In "Chamber of Secrets" John Gaughan, assisted by Dustin Stinett, describes Conradi's Jumbo Rising Card Houlette, photos by Jeff Chang.
Alex Boyce and Matthew Holzclaw continue their "Silent Manipulators in Conversation" series.
Noah Levine described the effect "Painted into a Corner" by thenothingexperiment.
Finally, actor/magician Jason Alexander answers interview questions compressed to a single page, but an expanded version is available online at https://geniimagazine.com/links/

98 pages from front to back cover. Should be hitting the mailboxes soon but available now the Genii app!
And more is available at https://www.geniimagic.com/