Will Shortz

Last updated

Will Shortz
Will Shortz at ACPT 2023 (cropped).jpg
Shortz in March 2023
Born
William F. Shortz [1]

(1952-08-26) August 26, 1952 (age 72) [2]
Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.
Other namesThe Puzzlemaster
Education Indiana University Bloomington (B.A.)
University of Virginia (J.D.)
Occupation(s)Crossword editor
Table tennis center owner
Notable credit(s) New York Times puzzle editor (since 1993), NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday puzzlemaster (since 1987)

William F. Shortz (born August 26, 1952) is an American puzzle creator and editor who is the crossword editor for The New York Times . He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in the invented field of enigmatology. After starting his career at Penny Press and Games magazine, he was hired by The New York Times in 1993. Shortz's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is the country's oldest and largest crossword tournament.

Contents

Early life and education

Shortz was born and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Crawfordsville, Indiana. [3] He was drawn to puzzles at an early age; in eighth grade he wrote a paper titled "Puzzles as a Profession". [4] (The paper earned him a B+.) [4] At age 13, Shortz wrote to Language on Vacation author Dmitri Borgmann for advice on how to pursue a career in puzzles. [5] At age 16, Shortz began regularly contributing crossword puzzles to Dell publications. [6] He eventually graduated from Indiana University in 1974, [7] and is the only person known to hold a college degree in enigmatology, [8] the study of puzzles. Shortz wrote his thesis about the history of American word puzzles. [9] Shortz achieved this by designing his own curriculum through Indiana University's Individualized Major Program. [10] He also earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law (1977), but did not sit for the bar exam and began a career in puzzles instead. [11] Shortz is the author or editor of more than 100 books and owns over 20,000 puzzle books and magazines dating back to 1545, reportedly the world's largest private library on the subject. [12] He is a member and historian of the National Puzzlers' League.

Career

Shortz began his career at Penny Press Magazines, [11] then moved to Games magazine for 15 years, and was its editor from 1989 to 1990, when the magazine temporarily folded. He was rehired in late 1991, then let go in August 1993. [13] A few months later he became the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times , the fourth in the paper's history, following Eugene Thomas Maleska. [14]

Shortz has been the puzzle master on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program was started in 1987. He is the founder of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (1978), and has been its director since that time. He founded the World Puzzle Championship in 1992 and is a director of the U.S. Puzzle Team. Shortz is also a weekly guest on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday where he hosts the Sunday Puzzle, a cooperative game between the show's host and one of the show's listeners. The lucky player is picked randomly from a group of submissions containing the correct answer to a qualifier puzzle issued the week before. [15]

In February 2009, Shortz helped introduce the KenKen puzzle into The New York Times. [16] In 2013, Shortz lent his name and talents in puzzle writing and editing to a new bimonthly publication entitled Will Shortz' WordPlay, published by Penny Press. [17] He has said that his favorite crossword of all time is the Election Day crossword of November 5, 1996, designed by Jeremiah Farrell. It had two correct solutions with the same set of clues, one saying that the "Lead story in tomorrow's newspaper (!)" would be "BOB DOLE ELECTED", and the other correct solution saying "CLINTON ELECTED". [18] His favorite individual clue is "It might turn into a different story" (whose solution is SPIRAL STAIRCASE). [19]

In addition to work as a crossword editor, Shortz is an excellent table tennis player. He has co-owned the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, New York, since 2009, and has been playing table tennis every day for the past 11 years. This dedication to the sport reflects his dedication to puzzles, with mementos and awards from his childhood displayed in the center. [20]

Controversies

In 2017, Shortz published a Times crossword by a prisoner named Lonnie Burton who was convicted of raping a 15-year-old boy, in addition to having burglary and robbery charges, prompting backlash from some solvers. [21] Shortz did not include the reason for Burton's imprisonment in his accompanying blog post. Burton had previously had crosswords published in the Los Angeles Times . [22] The Times public editor Liz Spayd wrote in an article on the decision, "What I question is the decision not to tell readers what Burton did. [...] I understand Shortz’ reflex to hold back such dark information given the levity of a puzzle, but not doing so may have made matters worse. It left some readers with the feeling of being tricked." [22]

At various times in his career Shortz has apologized for cluing decisions that sparked public backlash for being racist, sexist or offensive. [23] [24]

In 2019, The New York Times issued an apology after Shortz chose to publish the racial slur "BEANER" in the crossword, cluing it as "Pitch to the head, informally". [25] Shortz admitted that he saw the derogatory definition when he researched the word, but claimed he had never personally heard it, and explained that as long as a word also has a "benign" meaning, it meets his editorial standards for publication. Shortz defended his use of "BEANER" and noted he has published and stands by the benign meanings of the terms "CHINK" and "GO OK" (or "GOOK"), both slurs for people of Asian descent. [26]

In 2020, more than 600 crossword constructors and solvers signed an open letter to the executive director of Times puzzles asking for changes and expressing concerns regarding the diversity within the puzzle department at the Times and the puzzle itself. [27] [28] The letter also described the resignation of Claire Muscat, a woman who was hired as a test-solver, who resigned because of what she described as being hired to provide a perfunctory token female perspective. [29] [30] [27]

Honors and awards

Shortz in 2006 Will Shortz 2006.jpg
Shortz in 2006

Television appearances

Movie appearances

Personal life

Shortz resides in Pleasantville, New York, where he works from home. [46] He is an avid table tennis player. In May 2011, with Barbadian champion (and his long-time friend) Robert Roberts, [47] he opened one of the largest table tennis clubs in the Northeast in Pleasantville. [48] In 2012, Shortz set a goal for himself to play table tennis every day for a year, but surpassed his goal, playing for 1000 consecutive days, [49] and then eventually reaching a streak of 10 years in 2022. [50]

In his free time, Shortz also enjoys biking, reading, traveling, and collecting antique puzzle books. [51]

Shortz married for the first time in August of 2023. [52] [53]

Shortz, who had a history of untreated hypertension, had a stroke at home on February 4, 2024, and a second larger stroke while being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital. He received intravenous thrombolysis. He began rehabilitation at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, transferred in March to a subacute facility close to his home, and in April had returned home. As of November of 2024 he was still in therapy as an outpatient multiple days per week. [54] [55] [56] [57]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossword</span> Grid-based word puzzle

A crossword is a word game consisting of a grid of black and white squares, into which solvers enter words or phrases ("entries") crossing each other horizontally ("across") and vertically ("down") according to a set of clues. Each white square is typically filled with one letter, while the black squares are used to separate entries. The first white square in each entry is typically numbered to correspond to its clue.

<i>The New York Times Magazine</i> American magazine supplement

The New York Times Magazine is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazine is noted for its photography, especially relating to fashion and style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Crossword Puzzle Tournament</span>

The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) is a crossword-solving tournament held annually in February, March, or April. Founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who still directs the tournament, it is the oldest and largest crossword tournament held in the United States; the 2023 event set an attendance record with more than 750 competitors.

<i>The New York Times</i> crossword Daily American-style crossword puzzle

The New York Times crossword is a daily American-style crossword puzzle published in The New York Times, syndicated to more than 300 other newspapers and journals, and released online on the newspaper's website and mobile apps as part of The New York Times Games.

Jeremiah Farrell was an American mathematician and academic who was professor emeritus of mathematics at Butler University in Indiana. He constructed Will Shortz's favorite crossword puzzle, the famous 1996 "Election Day" crossword in The New York Times. He wrote puzzles for various books and newspapers including Scott Kim's puzzle column for Discover magazine.

Crosswordese is the group of words frequently found in US crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation. The words are usually short, three to five letters, with letter combinations which crossword constructors find useful in the creation of crossword puzzles, such as words that start and/or end with vowels, abbreviations consisting entirely of consonants, unusual combinations of letters, and words consisting almost entirely of frequently used letters. Such words are needed in almost every puzzle to some extent. Too much crosswordese in a crossword puzzle is frowned upon by crossword-makers and crossword enthusiasts.

Wei-Hwa Huang is an American puzzler, member of the US Team for the World Puzzle Championship, and game designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Farrar</span> Journalist and crossword puzzle editor

Margaret Petherbridge Farrar was an American journalist and the first crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times (1942–1968). Creator of many of the rules of modern crossword design, she compiled and edited a long-running series of crossword puzzle books – including the first book of any kind that Simon & Schuster published (1924). She was described the Los Angeles Times as "the grand dame of the American crossword puzzle."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merl Reagle</span>

Merl Harry Reagle was an American crossword constructor. For 30 years, he constructed a puzzle every Sunday for the San Francisco Chronicle, which he syndicated to more than 50 Sunday newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Seattle Times, The Plain Dealer, the Hartford Courant, the New York Observer, and the Arizona Daily Star. Reagle also produced crossword puzzles for AARP: The Magazine and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

Beaner is a derogatory slur originally from the United States to refer to individuals from Mexico or of Mexican American heritage. It originates from the bean being a staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine, such as Salsa Verde Soup or Bean Quesadilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manny Nosowsky</span> American physician

Manny Nosowsky is a U.S. crossword puzzle creator. A medical doctor by training, he retired from a San Francisco urology practice and, beginning in 1991, has created crossword puzzles that have been published in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other newspapers. Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times, has described Nosowsky as "a national treasure" and included four Nosowsky puzzles in his 2002 book Will Shortz's Favorite Crossword Puzzles. Since Shortz became editor of the Times crossword in November 1993, Nosowsky has published nearly 250 puzzles there, making him by far the most prolific published constructor in the Times. Nosowsky is frequently chosen to produce puzzles for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words</span> 6th episode of the 20th season of The Simpsons

"Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" is the sixth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 16, 2008. In the episode, Lisa discovers that she has a talent for solving crossword puzzles, and she enters a crossword tournament. Lisa's feelings are hurt when she discovers that Homer bet against her in the championship match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Kwong</span> American film producer

David Kwong is a magician, puzzle creator, writer, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Fagliano</span> American puzzle creator (born 1992)

Joel Fagliano is an American puzzle creator. He is known for his work at The New York Times, where he writes the paper's Mini Crossword. On March 14, 2024, Fagliano became the interim editor of The New York Times Crossword due to editor Will Shortz being on medical leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Shechtman</span> American journalist and crossword constructor

Anna Shechtman is an American journalist and crossword constructor. Shechtman is the film editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books and constructs crossword puzzles for The New Yorker and The New York Times.

Erik Agard is a crossword solver, constructor, and editor. He is the winner of the 2016 Lollapuzzoola Express Division, the 2018 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT), a frequent contributor to the New York Times crossword puzzle, a crossword constructor for The New Yorker, the former USA Today crossword editor, and a former Jeopardy! contestant. He is currently a crossword editor at Apple News+.

Michael David Sharp, known by the pseudonym Rex Parker, is an American blogger known for writing about the New York Times crossword puzzle on his blog, Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. Sharp teaches English at Binghamton University in New York.

Patrick D. Berry is an American puzzle creator and editor who constructs crossword puzzles and variety puzzles. He had 227 crosswords published in The New York Times from 1999 to 2018. His how-to guide for crossword construction was first published as a For Dummies book in 2004. One of the most revered constructors of his time, Berry has been called the "Thomas Pynchon of crosswords".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Shenk</span> American crossword puzzle editor (born 1958)

Mike Shenk is an American crossword puzzle creator and editor. He has been the editor of the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle since 1998. He is considered one of the foremost crossword constructors of his time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Ezersky</span> American puzzle editor (born 1995)

Sam Ezersky is an American puzzle editor and crossword constructor who is the editor of The New York Times Spelling Bee. He has worked for the New York Times games department since 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Shortz, William F. (1973). "British Word Puzzles (1700–1800)". Word Ways. Vol. 6, no. 3.
  2. ↑ New York Times Games [@NYTGames] (August 26, 2022). "A big happy 70th birthday to Will Shortz!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 4, 2024– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Ksander, Yaël (June 4, 2007). "Hoosier Puzzlemaster II". Indiana Public Media . Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Hiltner, Stephen (August 1, 2017). "Will Shortz: A Profile of a Lifelong Puzzle Master". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ Simmons, Mark (Winter 2006). "NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz". Games Quarterly: 24.
  6. ↑ "Will Shortz". NPR.org. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Puzzlemaster Will Shortz to present IU's 2008 commencement address". April 1, 2008.
  8. ↑ "New York Times crossword editor to give "puzzling" lecture at IU". Indiana University Bloomington. March 29, 2000. Archived from the original on October 26, 2005. Retrieved July 25, 2005.
  9. 1 2 "Indiana University Commencement Address | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ "IMP: Individualized Major Program: Indiana University Bloomington". Indiana University Bloomington. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "University of Virginia news item". Virginia.edu. April 3, 2008. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Puzzle pundit has a word", Australian Courier-Mail, 28 October 2006
  13. ↑ Marbella, Jean (November 22, 1993). "Crossword editor opens the door to innovation across the board Shortz story". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ "The Times Names A New Puzzle Editor". The New York Times. October 11, 1993. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Sunday Puzzle". Npr.org. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  16. ↑ Stephey, M. J., "Puzzle Guru Will Shortz.". Time March 2, 2009. June 15, 2009.
  17. ↑ PennyPress official page for WILL SHORTZ' WORDPLAY
  18. ↑ American Crossword Puzzle Tournament: "Business Unusual: Will Shortz"
  19. ↑ Thompson, Clive (June 7, 2006). "New York Magazine". Nymag.com. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Getting to know the Puzzlemaster, Will Shortz".
  21. ↑ Person, Daniel (April 17, 2017). "Crossword fans get cross over a Washington inmate's puzzle". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  22. 1 2 Spayd, Liz (April 11, 2017). "A Crossword as a Second Chance Troubles Many Readers". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  23. ↑ Jeffries, Adrianne. "The NYT crossword is old and kind of racist". The Outline. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  24. ↑ Graham, Ruth (June 28, 2016). "Tuesday's New York Times Crossword Has a "Hateful" 31 Down. Why So Clueless?". Slate. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  25. ↑ "NY Times Crossword Editor Apologizes for 'Slur' in New Year's Day Puzzle". TheWrap. January 2, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  26. ↑ Amlen, Deb (January 1, 2019). "Barely Adequate". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  27. 1 2 "Letter to the Executive Director of Puzzles at the New York Times" . Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  28. ↑ Cole, Samantha. "New York Times Crossword Constructors Are Fighting Against its Systemic Bias". www.vice.com. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  29. ↑ "We Should Smash the Crossword Patriarchy". NWLC. May 28, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  30. ↑ Last, Natan (March 18, 2020). "The Hidden Bigotry of Crosswords". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Wabash College: News Crawfordsville, Indiana". Wabash.edu. May 16, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  32. ↑ Association Awards: Sam Loyd Award Association for Games & Puzzles International
  33. ↑ "Graduation Speaker Will Shortz '77 Says UVA Law Students Smart Enough to Fill in Blanks". University of Virginia School of Law. October 27, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Will Shortz: University Honors and Awards: Indiana University". University Honors & Awards. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  35. ↑ The Oprah Winfrey Show : "How'd They Do That?"
  36. ↑ "Will on Millionaire Wednesday". YouTube. November 26, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  37. ↑ TV.com (May 6, 2009). "TV.com". TV.com. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Listings | TheFutonCritic.com – The Web's Best Television Resource". TheFutonCritic.com. May 10, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  39. ↑ "We asked: NYT crossword editor Will Shortz". Jeopardy.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" The Mattress (TV Episode 2015) - IMDb , retrieved October 25, 2020
  41. ↑ ""Brooklyn Nine-Nine" the Puzzle Master (TV Episode 2018)". IMDb .
  42. ↑ "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – May 2018".
  43. ↑ Various (May 22, 2020). "Did Supergirl Suit Overdo It? Why Did Soaps Story Snub Santa Barbara? What the 'Fork, Killing Eve? And More TV Qs". TV Line. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  44. ↑ IMDB Entry for "Batman Forever"
  45. ↑ Wordplay at IMDb
  46. ↑ Perez, Jade (January 17, 2020). "Will Shortz, A Lifelong Ping Pong and Puzzle Enthusiast". Pleasantville Press. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  47. ↑ Dewi Cooke; Chitrangada Choudhury. "Double Happiness".
  48. ↑ Reilly, Kathleen. "Westchester Table Tennis Center Debuts in Pleasantville". AOL Patch. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  49. ↑ Schwartz, Casey. "Puzzle Master Will Shortz Played Ping-Pong for 1,000 Days in a Row" . Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  50. ↑ Wilbur, Martin. "Shortz's Table Tennis Iron Man Streak Reaches 10 Years" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  51. ↑ "Will Shortz". NPR.org. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  52. ↑ Maynes-Aminzade, Liz (February 15, 2023). "Will Shortz's Life in Crosswords". The New Yorker Interview. The New Yorker. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  53. ↑ "Sunday Puzzle". Npr.org. August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Crossword Editor Will Shortz Shares How He's Recovering from Stroke". American Academy of Neurology . November 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  55. ↑ Tirrell, Meg (October 19, 2024). "Puzzle master Will Shortz pieces together his recovery from a stroke". CNN . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Solving the Stroke with Will Shortz". American Academy of Neurology . October 10, 2024.
  57. ↑ Wilbur, Martin (November 7, 2024). "Puzzle Master Shortz Looks to Solve Challenge of Coming Back From Stroke". The Examiner News . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.