Daniel talks to Kameron Austin Collins about topics such as the visual design of themelesses, getting a “villain edit,” his intentional jumbling of cultural references, the politics of fill, personalizing and pruning word lists, the entry he was most excited to include, advice for aspiring constructors, and much, much more.

In this episode, Sid and I discuss topics such as the connections between construction and science and engineering, crosswords as an art form, the inclusion of South Asian culture, crafting the final puzzle of the ACPT and the New York Times Super Mega, the inspirations behind favorite puzzles, the surprising places Sid writes clues, the power of variety puzzles, and much, much more.

Daniel talks to Rachel Fabi about how she started constructing, getting mentored and being a mentor, what makes a good theme, cryptic crosswords, fundraising for social causes, and so much more!

In the debut episode of Crosstalk, host Daniel Grinberg chats with crossword constructor Rafael Musa to explore the intricate, exciting world of crossword construction.

Find out which puzzle he's proudest of constructing, which crossword software he recently switched to and why, and what advice he would give to first-time creators.