Ian Frisch ’09 returned to Champlain College this week to present a reading from his new book “Magic is Dead: My Journey into the World’s Most Secretive Society of Magicians.” The book is nonfiction and details Frisch’s journeys with the most exclusive club of young magicians, the52, and how they are revolutionizing the world’s perceptions of magicians. The book also details Frisch’s own growing relationship with magic, beginning in his youth with his poker-playing mother.

Photography by Stephanie Kloss.

Teddy Kenyon ’19 is an avid fan of magician Chris Ramsey, one of the founding members of the52, and was excited about Frisch’s visit to the campus. “I got a copy of the book as soon as it was released. The event was fascinating. Ian Frisch was a very interesting person to listen to, having been a normal person who happened to discover a totally new world and being thrown right into it,” Kenyon remarked of the event.

“It feels more like memoir than journalism,” said Kim MacQueen, the Managing Editor of the Center for Publication and CCM Faculty Advisor in a recent “Write the Book” podcast. “You can tell from reading ‘Magic is Dead’ that Ian did a lot of personal growth and development. … [He] started out writing about other people and then ended up writing about himself along with them.”

“Magic is Dead” by Ian Frisch is available at major bookstores, and more information about the author can be found at http://www.ianfrisch.com/.

Jessica Schultz ’19—Contributor