Introducing Slate’s New Crossword Puzzle!
There are two things I require shortly after I wake up in the morning: coffee, of course, and games.
Doing a word game or sudoku puzzle at 6:45 a.m. might be your nightmare. For me, they are a literal wake-up call. Yes, I do the Wordle and an array of other New York Times puzzles (Connections, Sudoku, Strands). But for no real or obvious reason, I’ve never done their crosswords. Now, I think it’s fate: I have been waiting for a Slate crossword all this time!
Starting today, Slate will publish a midi (11-by-11) crossword Monday through Friday, and a full-size (15-by-15) puzzle on Sundays. I was able to test out a few in advance, and they are perfectly cheeky, a little tough, and very fun. Whether you are a crossword novice like me or an experienced puzzle-doer, I think you’ll find our crossword offering to be fresh and challenging. They’ll also be increasingly Slatey! Sol Werthan, Slate’s assistant managing editor who is overseeing our puzzle project, told me they are looking forward to finding opportunities to link to Slate stories in clues. I love this! (And hopefully it will also give me, and our most avid Slate readers, an upper hand.)
I asked Sol how they chose the folks putting together Slate’s puzzles. Here’s what they said:
Since I am by no means a crossword expert, I’ve been grateful to get advice and feedback from friends of Slate at American Values Club Crossword and Crosshare, which is the platform where we’re hosting our puzzles.
We got connected with a crossword editor named Quiara Vasquez, and we’ve been thrilled to have her on board. Quiara has been integral to shaping our crossword strategy, and she will be constructing puzzles for Slate as well.
Quiara has assembled an eclectic roster of constructors whose non-crossword roles run the gamut from working as an immigration attorney to judging the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I am delighted by the constructors’ wide variety of specialties and interests. I think their diverse experiences are the perfect complement to Slate’s broad-ranging editorial focus on politics, the law, pop culture, human interest, technology, science, and more.
If you’re a Slate Plus member, you’ll learn more about our constructors over the next while–and you’ll even get a special, member-only Slate-themed crossword in celebration of our Slate Plus 10th anniversary! (And if you are not a member, join now!)
I hope you have fun with our inaugural crossword puzzle, and don’t forget to take our daily quiz while you’re at it, too (though I usually save that one for after dinner).
