Accessibility links
Magic's Future: Now You See It, Now You Don't? Today, a sleight-of-hand magic trick can seem downright quaint — how will modern magic fare in the 21st century? Magician Jamy Ian Swiss explains the art of teaching "old school" tricks, and New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik talks about what the future holds for the magic industry.

Diversions

Magic's Future: Now You See It, Now You Don't?

Heard on Talk of the Nation

Listen to this 'Talk of the Nation' topic

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88144949/88144935" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Listen to this 'Talk of the Nation' topic

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/88144949/88144935" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Today, a sleight-of-hand magic trick can seem downright quaint — how will modern magic fare in the 21st century?

Magician Jamy Ian Swiss explains the art of teaching and preserving "old school" tricks, and New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik talks about what the future holds for the magic industry.

Gopnik's story about magic and magicians, "The Real Work," appears in The New Yorker.