New York Times, Saturday, November 6, 2021

BROOKE Will and I started working together more than a year and a half ago and have posted a bunch of indie collabs on his blog — it's both surreal and sentimental that this is our first newspaper puzzle together! We tried really hard to make all the surrounding fill fun (I think it's super cool that the center stack has no 3-letter words intersecting it) and I don't think that can be epitomized more than through Will's inclusion of WERERABBIT.

I could go on and on about Will's contributions to the construction community as a whole through his mentorship of new constructors; the "indie roundups" he posts; and his innovation in the small puzzle space at Vox, with asymmetry, and absolutely mind-boggling thematic feats of construction … somehow while still managing to be a speed-solving icon. On a personal note, though, Will might be the constructor who has influenced my individual construction journey the most and I truly can't describe in words what I owe to him in that regard. He is so supremely kindhearted and open-minded, and the combination of these things made collaborating when I was just starting out feel like a really safe and welcome space to try new things — I can't thank him enough for this.

WILL: I'm very excited for our official newspaper debut, though, as Brooke mentioned, we've posted plenty of indie collabs already. I'm grateful to Brooke for kicking things off with a pristine center stack, and we're both grateful to the editing team, who are responsible for many of the best clues.

I'm gratified by Brooke's comments, but I also want to add that most of what I do these days is inspired and influenced by people who have just started to construct in the last few years and who are already revolutionizing the world of crosswords. And Brooke herself is a prime example — she's come up with all sorts of gridding and cluing innovations that I'd never considered in my many years of constructing. I've learned a lot from our collaborations, and I look forward to many more!

I love the "Wallace and Gromit" shorts, "The Wrong Trousers" capturing this mechanical engineer's imagination decades ago. I haven't seen Aardman's longer features, but I look forward to watching them with my kids some day — "The Curse of the WERE-RABBIT" sounds delightful.

TAKES FOR GRANTED is apt today, solvers likely to take for granted how far triple-stacks have come over the years. Ten years ago, most of them had to be held together with paper-clips-and-bubble-gum short fill. Today's is beautifully clean, every cross and surrounding entry immaculate. Love it; how times have changed.

I did find TAKES FOR GRANTED a bit dull, though, especially since its clue was so straightforward; no playfulness at all. Thanks to the pre-Shortzian project, we can see that this entry debuted way back in 1969! I can only imagine what a triple-stack built around it would have looked like.

PROPELLER BEANIE made me smile. I've never seen one in real life, but I wouldn't put it past some Seattle hipster doofus to wear one. And make me want one.

Jim Horne and I debated how strong STARBUCKS ORDERS felt. Is MCDONALDS ORDERS equally valid? Would we enjoy seeing IHOP BREAKFAST in a themeless? Ultimately, Jim convinced me that Starbucks has made a cultural statement about tall, grande, venti, and I did enjoy the misdirection in the clue, making me think about Ariana Grande. Excellent use of the "hidden capital" trick.

Some great cluing today, Facebook offering 50 different choices for GENDERS? Maybe they're not all bad! (Only 99.7%.) And what a great way to make a shortie like EMU stand out. Won't defecate for 50+ days during egg incubation? So many questions …

Grid-spanning triple-stacks can be so amazing when all three entries feel like fist-pumpers. This one didn't get there, but much of the other material added zing — STORE BRAND, I OWE YOU ONE, MERCEDES BENZ, ON BROADWAY.