New York Times, Monday, February 1, 2021

Every daily crossword this week, Monday to Saturday, is made by an African-American contributor. Soleil Saint-Cyr is a high school senior in Moorestown, N.J. This is her New York Times debut.

Hi everyone! I'm a high school senior at The Lawrenceville School near Princeton, New Jersey, and I am super excited to be making my New York Times debut and to be the person kicking off Black Constructors' Week!

I started constructing in August 2020, after I Twitter DM'ed Ross Trudeau asking him if he could teach me how to make puzzles. I've been solving since eighth grade, but I didn't really feel the desire to start constructing until the pandemic hit, and I suddenly had a lot of free time and not a lot of activities to fill it with. Crossword puzzles have really been an awesome way to spend my free time when I'm not talking to friends, reading, playing lacrosse, or in class. I am also very honored that my puzzle makes me the youngest female constructor ever published in the Times. I turn 18 years old in 13 days (the day before Valentine's Day), so I think this debut is an awesome way to close my formal childhood.

I was actually on the phone with Ross working on another puzzle when I came up with this theme. I don't remember exactly how he came to say the phrase HIVE MIND, but my brain immediately jumped to thinking about the types of bees in a colony. I have to admit, I had an awesome Beychella clue for HOMECOMING QUEEN, but I am very happy to debut the phrase ESSENTIAL WORKER in this theme. They've really carried us all through the past year, so I hope that this acts as a thank you to them.

Being someone who is very politically conscious, though I was too young to vote, I loved being able to include both Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the clues for today, and I also gave a little personal nod to two of my best friends who are planning on being YALIES come next fall.

Before I go, I'd like to quickly shout out Ross (again), Wyna Liu, and all of the editors who were instrumental in making this puzzle what you solved today.

Every daily crossword this week, made by an African-American constructor? Awesome! I hope we get to the point one day where the records lists will be filled with people of all different backgrounds. Not that there's anything wrong with white men! Taking up (at least) 18 of the top 25 slots, though? Really?

Featuring YouTube clips starring only white men? Really, Jeff?

ESSENTIAL WORKER — that's the type of debut I love. Talk about today's heroes! Great way to kick off a bee crossword, WORKER, QUEEN, DRONE tied nicely together with HIVE MIND.

I found it odd, though, to tack on US to MILITARY DRONE. Feels arbitrary. Perhaps mirror symmetry would have been better — lengths of 15, 15, 13, 4/4 scream for a left-right layout.

I've seen this theme often, a quick search for *DRONE* quickly turning one up. There's room to redo themes, especially if you use a fresh phrase like ESSENTIAL WORKER, but I want something elevating it even more than including a revealer in HIVE MIND.

Perhaps a hexagon of black squares in the middle of the grid? Or a swarm of Bs clustered in the center of the puzzle?

IMMA is the kind of debut I'm not wild about. Although partials are inelegant, I'd much rather have A SIGN or A FUSS since these are easier for early-week solvers to figure out.

Some beautiful long bonuses! PEER GROUP stands out, and BEAR HUG / GOT RICH are fun, too. Usually, I'd classify GEORGIANS as more neutral, but I enjoyed the fresh clue about the recent election.

Not as friendly to newer solvers as a Monday puzzle should be — MARIANAS Trench and OCULI potentially off-putting — but I appreciated the drive to do something a little different with the grid.