New York Times, Saturday, June 12, 2021

BROOKE: What a true honor to co-construct with Brian, one of my idols in themeless gridding, and to share the weekend with my day one crossword bestie Matthew. This was the first of many puzzles Brian and I have made together (here's another we blogged a few days ago) and I love its interconnectedness and all the great stuff we crammed into the fill and clues — I'm always into current music and literature refs, and love that we seeded this one with 28D (and that the neighboring 27D fell right into place), that we have the privilege of debuting 32D, and that we could highlight the work in 41A. Much appreciation to whichever geniuses on the editorial team wrote the clues for 6A and 53A!

BRIAN: Brooke is flat-out an awesome person to construct with — she is laser-focused on making every clue & every bit of fill as entertaining, fun, and inclusive as possible. Beyond what she highlighted, I really like the way the long central acrosses (from 24A to 39A) came together. They do everything — connect the big corner stacks, are lively phrases themselves, and even work well with all the central down 7s. We both are really proud of how the whole puzzle came together — this definitely won't be the last time you hear from us!

It warms my heart that at least one younger person remembers HE'S DEAD JIM. I can't describe how ecstatic I'd be if some Millennial or generation Alpha constructor used REDSHIRT, clued as [Poor sap destined to die in a "Star Trek" away mission].

I loved, loved, loved the summery vibe, with BOSTON POPS playing its annual July 4^th concert, SPARKLERs eliciting I'M AMAZED, pounding in TENTPEGs at a campsite, eating MACARONI salad at a picnic. I enjoy mini-themes in my themelesses, but most of them are simply two related entries. I'd love to see more like this, with so many connected elements!

Other fun entries in PLAY DIRTY, JURY RIG — been watching too much "Money Heist" and "Imposters," Brooke and Brian? — and even mid-length entries like CITADEL and ASTERIX elevated my solve.

ROBYN FENTY was a complete mystery, so I was relieved that every single crossing was unambiguous. I'm curious how many Rihanna fans could correctly spell (or even name) her birth name.

The PRESS BOX clue … it's getting at the press corps covering the field (of sporting action). I like the intent, but it wasn't as satisfying as [One with a train, maybe]. Once you uncover BRIDE, it's not hard to make the connection to the train some brides trail behind them.

What a fantastic way to clue TIL! I have some N.K. Jemisin on my TBR (to be read) list, but "How Long Til Black Future Month?" is such a provocative title that it's now at the top of my queue.

For a 70-word themeless, the bar is so high that I'd usually balk at even the minimal ATA DIA STD TELE, but there was more than enough color to offset these minor blips.