Vacation week for most of Long Island this week, and that means library shows. One of the interesting things about performing in libraries is that the library market tends to be counter-cyclical. When the economy is doing well, people don't go to the library as much. They go to the movies, the mall, and other places to spend money. However, when times are tight, as they appear to be now, suddenly free programs at your local library become much more appealing. I haven't noticed a major uptick this week, but that's probably because most libraries book several months in advance. I expect this to be a library-heavy summer.

The summer reading club theme for most states this year is "Be Creative At Your Library". The program I am going to be promoting is my balloon sculpting workshop. In 1994, I came up with a very simple but effective system for teaching kids how to make balloon animals, and since then, my balloon workshop has been very popular. I sent out 500 postcards yesterday to promote the program, so we'll see how many end up on the calendar. If you're reading this, take a peek at my library site- http://www.librarymagic.com- and see what you think.

In the news...

One of the perks of doing this for a living is the occasional surprise of finding yourself in a newspaper when you don't expect to. I recently performed at a nearby elementary school, and upon leaving my local Blockbuster store yesterday, I happened to glance at their freebie newspaper rack. My picture was on the cover of one of the town shoppers for the school show I did. Full color, nice write-up. I know it's just a local shopper, but it put a spring in my step. I'm not bragging, but I can honestly say I've lost track of how many times I've been in newspapers and magazines, and fortunately, it's always been positive. It's a nice feeling.

This past week I rolled 2 routines into my act for the first time. It's always a little nerve-wracking the first time you perform a trick in front of a live audience. No matter how much you rehearse, it's a bit scary performing it in front of real people. Fortunately, both tricks were well-received, and I expect to use one or both more in the future.

I am always surprised at how quick some magicians are to want to add a new piece to their acts; they buy them, and in the next week, they're performing them. Of the 2 tricks I added this week, one I bought/learned 2 years ago, and the other about a year ago. For me, it takes a long time to figure out all the particulars of where a trick should be in the act, and more importantly, why it needs to be in there. The fact that this past Friday was Friday the Thirteenth made the inclusion of one trick a natural fit, so I decided that would be debut day. Having the justification in my mind made its performance much more natural for me, and I think added to its successful presentation. Now I have my own hook to hang it on in future performances.

Short post to get back on track. 30 months of writer's block is hard to overcome...

Hopefully the next post will be a little more timely. Out for a few shows today and this evening. The evening show is a "Magic of Reading" show for students and parents on Long Island. Details tomorrow.