Jonesin' 4:04 (Derek)
LAT 3:07 (Derek)
NYT 5:20 (Amy)
Universal 4:28 (Jim Q)
WSJ untimed (Jim P)
Xword Nation untimed (Ade)
USA Today x:xx (Jane Doe)
So many crossword announcements today!
- Matt Gaffney writes, “I’m doing a Zoom Q&A Tuesday, June 29, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM ET, hosted by the Muggles Forum, answering questions from solvers about contest crosswords. All are welcome but we are limited to 300, so if you are unable to get a spot, the talk will be posted in full on Wednesday. Zoom link here.
- The New Yorker has added a weekly cryptic crossword to its puzzle mix! Here’s the announcement and here’s the first puzzle, constructed by Patrick Berry. The other constructors on the cryptics roster are Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon, Neville Fogarty, Joshua Kosman & Henri Picciotto, Paolo Pasco, Trip Payne, and Stella Zawistowski. These folks are all great at writing cryptics! You can solve the puzzles online or print them out. (Sign up for the Crosswords newsletter to get a handy email whenever a new puzzle is available.)
- This Thursday, July 1, a new weekly indie crossword called Crucinova begins. Crucinova is the brainchild of longtime puzzler Lisa Bunker, and these will not be your grandmother’s crosswords. Lisa gave me a sneak peek at the first two puzzles—they’re well-made and fun, and the grids are not your standard square crosswords. I signed up! $29.99 a year after the first free month. Check it out. Also: Constructors with really creative ideas (which newspaper puzzles often cannot accommodate) are encouraged to submit their work to Crucinova. Explanatory submission guidelines here.
—Amy
