Attendance
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Virtual attendance is free and not ticketed. Watch this space for streaming information the morning of the conference!
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About the conference
This second-of-its-kind, half-day conference is intended for crossword enjoyers of all sorts: for occasional dabblers and daily solvers, as well as for the people who create and edit these works of art. For our sophomore gathering, we're looking towards the future: what's on the horizon for crosswords, and what changes are already bubbling just beneath the surface?
Schedule
The conference will be held in Hearst Tower in Manhattan from 8:30am to 1:00pm.
Sign-in opens
Speaker block 1
Welcome
The Long Road to a Good Shortcut
Future-Proof Your Puzzle Archive
Across the Universe: Natan Last and Adrienne Raphel in conversation
Break
Speaker block 2
Sunday-Sized Puzzles: In So Many Words
Freelancer panel: Crosswords = Life
Speakers & Panelists
Kate Hawkins · she/her · Panelist
> Freelance constructor since 2019ish
> Also: Mom of 1- and 3-year olds, serial hobbyist, once and perhaps future product manager
> Fave own clue: [Guilt trip?] for APOLOGY TOUR
Will Nediger · he/him · Panelist
> Professional puzzlemaker
> Also: Father of two
> Fave own clue: [10 Downing Street] for PICABO, in a puzzle with SKI at 10 Down
Ada Nicolle · she/her · Panelist
> Freelance puzzlemaker, trans queen of themelesses
> Also: Toronto comedian, friend to all cats
> Fave own clue: ["I'm back, baby!"] for PEEK-A-BOO I SEE YOU
Brendan Emmett Quigley · Panelist
> Puzzle maker since 1996
> Also: Liz’s husband, Tabitha’s dad, Boston Typewriter Orchestra member
> Fave own clue: [Mountain pass] for SKI LIFT
Evan Birnholz · he/him · Speaker
> Writer of the Washington Post Sunday crossword since 2015
> Also: Father of a 17-month-old son, bass singer in the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia
> Fave own clue: [Can't say that I do?] for JILT
Laura Braunstein · she/her · Speaker
> Cofounder of the Inkubator
> Also: Head of Digital Scholarly Engagement, Dartmouth College Library; mom of two teenagers and two cats
> Fave own clue: [Lox smith?] for DELI
Rob Dubbin · he/they · Speaker
> Puzzmo constructor, consistent third-fastest solver in their Puzzmo club
> Also: Writer, game designer, technical clown
> Fave own clue: [Process geologists definitely don't call "the long crumble"] for EROSION
Natan Last · he/him · Speaker
> Crossword constructor
> Also: Immigration policy advocate
> Fave own clue: [Has on record] for LAUGH TRACK
Adrienne Raphel · she/her · Interviewer
> Author of Thinking Inside the Box
> Also: Writer, professor at CUNY Baruch
> Fave own clue: ["Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a ___": iconic inscription in the Anne Frank House guest book] for BELIEBER
Brooke Husic · she/her · Director
> Puzzmo's crossword editor
> Also: Very fast at typing
> Fave own clue: [Second derivative function] for AFTER AFTER PARTY
Directed by Brooke Husic • Illustration by Lilith Wu • Presented by Puzzmo