My first exposure to crossword puzzles was either on the back of a placemat at the Mr. Steak restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa or by way of my grandparents. The first time I really thought about serious crossword puzzles was when I noticed the stack of crossword puzzle dictionaries my grandfather kept on hand next to the breakfast table. I’m a New York Times Wed/Thurs puzzler at best, although I often complete Friday and Saturday puzzles, but rarely finish a Sunday puzzle without some help from Google. Shortly after seeing a screening of Wordplay, a documentary about the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, I was lucky enough to talk with Merl Reagle, syndicated crossword puzzle maker and one of the featured personalities in Wordplay both about the film and about the history of modern crossword puzzling.
Listen to the interview:
