NO FOOLING! It is April and time for another terrific issue of The Linking Ring! And there it is, in the upper left corner of this front page on the I.B.M. Web Portal. And what a terrific cover, with a little fun, as David Stone covers his face with his hand. Not to worry, the cover story inside shows several photos of David, with no hand covering his face. Read on for a preview and summary of what’s inside.
Yes, one of the hottest magicians around is David Stone and we have him on our cover, have a nice story inside on how he got to where he is, and even have an eight-page article by him on six steps to deal with stage fright. And Stone is the featured guest of Honor at FFFF 2012 the end of April, so this article is very timely. Also he is traveling throughout the country, lecturing to Rings, conventions, and other events.
Editor Sammy Smith talks about deception and exposing secrets in magic in his column, entitled “The Frog and the Scorpion.” And I.B.M. president Vanni Pule' talks about the Blackpool Convention, and magic as art, in his column. Both are provocative reading.
Seven RIngs are featured this month in the Ring Events section. Read what they did, as well as get some ideas for your own Ring. Reports are given for: Ring 105 (Columbia, South Carolina); Ring 205 (Lima, Ohio); Ring 211 (Grand Rapids, Michigan); Ring 216 (San Jose, California); Ring 219 (Lafayette, Indiana); Ring 371 (Iceland); and Ring 41 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Be sure to pause at the Ring 41 report because they probably are the first I.B.M. RIng to create a special app for their Ring.
You should know by now that the 84th Annual I.B.M. Convention will be held July 3-7, 2012 in Norfolk, Virginia. This is the third time the convention has met in Norfolk. The previous years were in 1984 and 1996. A three-page article gives lots more details about the convention, and includes nine photos of performers. In addition to the overall theme of “Sea the Magic,” is the sub-theme, “Your Passport to Magic in Norfolk.” Yes, when you pick up your registration packet, you’ll receive a Passport. Get it stamped at each of the vendor booths and be eligible for special prizes.
A new column in The Linking Ring is “Polishing the Rings. It will be about programs and activities that contribute to the success of I.B.M. Rings. The first several columns will be by Skip Way, Chairman of the Youth Committee. Every Ring should have some active program focused on developing youth magicians. Skip will give you lots of tips and advice how to do this.
John Calvert continues to share some of his rich experiences over his one hundred years in “Conversations With Calvert.” This month he focuses on two old friends, Dick Brooks and Dorothy Dietrich, and their terrific magic museum and theater in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
In his column, “Cutting Up Jackpots,” Bev Bergeron has so much to say and praise about magician assistants, that he’ll probably continue his three-pages to a second column in the next or a future issue.
“The Kid Show Circuit” by Marty Hahne presents the Birthday Party -- “Nuts and Bolts.” Marty gives lots of practical advice which will be beneficial to all magicians, old and new.
Scott Humston discusses “The Magic of finding work in a slow economy,” in his column, “Business of the Show.” And Peter Scarlett gives us an update on magic goings-on in England and beyond, in his column “The London Eyes.”
This month’s Hocus Pocus Parade is a one-man version, from Dougie Gibbard from the United Kingdom. He gives us for our reading pleasure twelve effects. As always, the commentary is enhanced by artist Tony Dunn.
One of the requirements of winning the I.B.M. Originality Contest is to describe it in detail in The Linking Ring. So last year’s sinner -- Ricardo “Fantasio” Roucau -- gives us his version of “Airbourne Bottle,” in which the magician lets go of the bottle instead of the glass. Again, Tony Dunn’s illustrations make the explanations much clearer.
Mike Powers turns over his column, “The Card Game,” this month to card veteran Paul Lelekis, for his “Jumping Jacks.” Peter Marucci tells us about “Ashes to Ashes” in his column, “Showtime;” and Ed Solomon gives us “Spring Flowers (Literally)” in his column, “Storytelling Magic.”
Our expert reviewers give us their opinions on fourteen magic books, DVDs and tricks in the always-popular section, Hocus in Focus; and fourteen people are honored with obituaries in the April Broken Wand.
As with every issue, the last section include reports from many Rings around the world, in the popular section called, what else?) “Ring Reports."
And don’t overlook all those advertisements by dozens of vendors, of all sorts of magic products, services, and events (conventions, workshops, etc.). These advertisers underwrite much of the cost of putting out a quality publication. Please thank them for their support. And tell them you saw their ads in The Linking Ring.
Now go click on the cover and download your PDF or read the digital version online.
As always, a deep bow to editor Sammy Smith, his staff, and all the writers who contributed to this lively issue.
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