Wendy L. Brandes author page

JULIANA: For me, this puzzle is a testament to the power of collaboration. I had the idea to make a puzzle in which the solver looks for common items one would need to leave the house. (Personally, I spend a lot of time doing just that!) However, I was really struggling with what to include and subsequently building a working theme set from those items. Talking with Wendy really helped me to find new ways to look at the possibilities, and she found fitting theme entries that completed the set. In this case, two heads were definitely better than one, and we had a great time working together to boot.

WENDY: I loved Juliana's idea for the puzzle and was thrilled that she invited me to collaborate with her on it. My favorite part of the puzzle is that two themers hint at going out on the town (WHISKEY SOUR and TAXI DRIVER). It was great working with Juliana, a brilliant constructor, and an amazing punster. Her clue, "How do you say that in Spanish?" still makes me smile. We hope you enjoy this one (and maybe even give it a second look before heading out the door).

In January 2020, I saw a piece in the NYT announcing that the U.S. Navy was going to name an aircraft carrier in honor of Doris Miller. I had no idea who Doris Miller was, so I investigated. What I discovered was, first, that Doris Miller was a man, and more important, that he had been a war hero who sprang into action during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He tended to the wounded captain on the bridge of their ship, the USS West Virginia, and then fired on Japanese planes using an anti-aircraft gun that he, as a mess attendant, had never been trained to use. After ferrying many wounded soldiers to safety, Miller was among the last to leave the ship.

Miller was eventually awarded the Navy Service Cross for bravery. However, it seems clear that had Miller been white, his valor would have been recognized sooner and hailed more widely. Thanks to Erik Agard, crossword constructor extraordinaire, I found a wonderful lecture by Professor Robert Chester of the University of Maryland, which taught me more about Doris Miller's brief, eventful life.

Doris Miller was my seed entry for this puzzle — and I am delighted to shine a small light on his heroism. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Wyna Liu, who encouraged me to zhuzh up my clues and showed me what spicier clues would look like. Many thanks to Wyna, Joel Fagliano, Will Shortz, and the entire NYT team for making my puzzle livelier and more fun. I also want to give a shout out to the test solvers, who perform invaluable work ensuring that puzzles are solvable, interesting and current.

WENDY: Everything that Crossworld says about Erik being generous, kind, patient, and brilliant is all true. I would also say that the standards he sets for himself are an inspiration. What I learned from Erik while working on this themeless — how to use Crossfire properly (!), that pluralizing uncommon names isn't a great idea, using words with "un" or "re" as prefixes can drag down a puzzle, and only the most common abbreviations are acceptable.

The first seed entry that came to mind was GRETA THUNBERG — because, well, she's Greta Thunberg! For me, that is the highlight of the puzzle.

This is my first New York Times crossword. Without my great friend, the brilliant Martha Jones, with whom I've written several puzzles, I would not have taken the plunge into constructing. Patrick Merrell, an amazing constructor, spent time teaching Martha and me the basics of construction. Laura Braunstein, Tracy Bennett, Rebecca Falcon, David Steinberg, Patti Varol, and Robyn Weintraub also helped, supported, taught, and encouraged me. And, of course, Erik is hands down, the best in the business with a heart to match.

ERIK: Honored to be involved with Wendy's NYT debut, and looking forward to many more from her. I will steal "generous, kind, patient, and brilliant" because they're all perfect adjectives to describe her. You can show her some love on Twitter at @WendyBrandes1.