Announcement! The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament will be virtual/online this spring, and registration is now open at the ACPT site. The puzzles will be released in an AmuseLabs interface like the one Boswords has been using for its various online crossword tournaments—I think I’m a notch or two slower there than in .puz format, but it’s certainly workable. The virtual ACPT will include via video many of the extra events and games you may know from in-person ACPTs of yore (I reckon you’re on your own for wine and cheese), and follow the customary schedule of fun stuff on Friday and Saturday night, puzzle sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and the finals competition and awards Sunday afternoon. $50 for individuals, $60 for the pairs solving option.
Obligatory reminder to bump your clocks forward an hour before you go to bed Saturday night, Americans!
Announcement! There’s a new crossword-related Kickstarter I wanted to let you know about. Hayley Gold, whose “Across and Down” puzzle cartoons you might remember, has created a 128-page graphic novel called Letters to Margaret. The characters include crossword bloggers (!), there’s a Margaret Farrar angle, there’s wit and romance, and the book includes crosswords that are made expressly for the graphic novel (by Andy Kravis and Mike Selinker) and figure into the storyline. Read all about it right here and pledge your support by March 30 to get a print or digital copy of Hayley’s book. I’ve read a draft and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’ve been hankering for a graphic novel with insider jokes about crosswords, this one’s for you!—Amy