COVER: Christian Chelman
Antwerp, November 2006: Our story begins in a Belgian pub, late, after a magician's gathering. The scene is familiar enough. Magicians are sharing magic, and between tricks they sip drinks. Only one man hasn't performed, and now it's his turn. Christian's unusual, thick spectacles drift low on his nose. He adjusts them with only his right first finger. Now he lifts a delicate box from his lap to the table and begins to remove its contents. A thick cloud of smoke envelopes the table. When the smoke dissipates, the magicians discover that ��" brace yourself ��" they are instantly a hundred years back in time, and five hundred miles east. This doesn't seem like a fantasy or figurative interpretation. They feel as though they have literallybeen transported.
By Joshua Jay

31 Face North
For the last five summers, David Ben and Allan Slaight have hosted 31 Faces North at a small private school in downtown Toronto. From August 9 through 12, the curriculum was strictly magic. Lectures and performances were held in classrooms and free time spent lounging in the children's play area/kitchen. This year's 35 guests hailed from as far away as New York, Los Angeles, Switzerland, and Japan. The gathering is held in honor of Stewart James, perhaps the most prolific inventor magic has ever known.
By Adam Rubin

Ricky Smith
The first thing you should know is that Ricky Smith is good with cards. Some of the people who acknowledge him as an underground prodigy are John Carney, Bill Goodwin, Jason England, and Gary Plants. Above ground, he is mostly known for a card control that uses a fan as a cover that Bill Goodwin and Gordon Bean published in Penumbra called the Cherry Control. When asked about other sleights he has invented, he says, "Some moves that I am happy with are a spread control done on the table that leaves the card on the top, a replacement of a card from full right-hand palm to the bottom of the deck, a palm transfer from right-hand gambler's flat palm to left-hand full palm with the deck in the hands, a palm from the top of the deck into left-hand full palm… among other things." Dan Buck says, "He's probably the only person on the planet who would show laymen tricks from Earnest Earick's book without fear of screwing up ��" he's that good."
By John Lovick

Five Hundred Magic Mondays
After 500-plus shows, well over 200 performers, and four theaters, Monday Night Magic will celebrate the achievement of its official tenth anniversary on October 15, 2007 at St. Clements Theater on West 46th St., in the heart of New York City's theater district. It is "the longest running Off-Broadway magic show" and has earned the distinction by its ability to move from one theater to the next, even as it held and built its audience. Monday Night Magic strides into its second decade confidently and with every indication of continued success. It has become the premier East Coast magic venue and a model for other productions. It provides a showcase and a platform for the presentation of the art and entertainment of conjuring.
By Richard Steven Cohn

Snakes On A Buss
It's become known as "the reset from hell" as two hours of set up for a ninety-second routine. But practical considerations have not deterred Eric Buss from creating the comic explosion he calls, "The Spring Snake Symphony." If you didn't get a chance to see Eric perform RFH at The Magic Castle this past spring or were unable to experience it at MAGIC Live! this summer, you missed a truly mind-boggling and strangely-exhilarating experience. You missed what an art professor called, "Pure art, pure madness." And what the author calls, "Cirque du Soleil on Crack."
By Geoff Williams

Magic Live III
MAGIC celebrated a "sweet sixteen" anniversary by hosting the third in a series of "unconventional conventions." Returning to The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the event produced memorable moments, and plenty of surprises. This month, we offer a sixteen-page overview of the sweet sixteenth anniversary party thrown by MAGIC.
By Alan Howard

And Muc Much More!