The long tour of readings in support of his latest book, Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician, is behind him, but author Daniel Wallace is not putting his feet up — not yet anyway.
This weekend, Wallace and a handful of co-conspirators have banded together for “A Feast of the Five Senses,†specifically a show of magic, music and (insert drum roll here) literature.
You heard right. Visit the Fearrington Barn on Friday, plunk down $35 — all of which is guaranteed to be passed on to WUNC radio and the Chatham County Young Authors program — and from 7 to 10 p.m. thrill to the sleight of hand, harmonious song and riveting stories provided by Wallace, fellow author Wesley Stace (who performs musically as John Wesley Harding) and magician extraordinaire Geoff Lloyd. The emcee for the evening, presented by McIntyre’s Fine Books, is the silver-throated Frank Stasio. Recommended dress is “snappy.â€
Wallace says the idea started when he and Stace were at a reading together in France. The two tried to devise a way to read together in New York where Stace lives. Putting on a show on Wallace’s turf seemed a natural idea as well, although this event, he said, has seemed to have taken on a life of its own.
“It just snowballed into this really big show,†Wallace said. He credits his wife, Laura, for pitching in to help organize the extravaganza.
Already he’s reaped the benefits, adding a few more card tricks to his arsenal thanks to magician Geoff Lloyd, who in turn has been learning a little banjo via Wallace, who’s played since he was 15. He knew the two of them would hit it off when he called to ask Lloyd about performing for the benefit and discovered the prestidigitator was in the middle of reading Mr. Sebastian.
“I’ve always liked magic and always done it badly and I continue to perform it badly,†Wallace said, adding that magic has a “goofy, nerdy†quality that suits him because “it’s true. I’m actually a goofy, nerdy guy.â€
He promises “one big magic trick†whose secret he intends to reveal. That is, once the audience recovers from its awe.
— Kirk Ross