In this episode of Trivia Tangents, I chat with Aimee Lucido — a former software engineer who turned her love of puzzles and trivia into a dream career writing games for Bloomberg and crosswords forThe New Yorker, and The New York Times.

Aimee shares how she made the leap from tech to creative writing, how a pandemic hobby with trivia flash cards snowballed into her role as Bloomberg’s Quizmaster for Pointed, and why she believes the best trivia questions have a game hidden inside them. We talk about her time on game shows, our shared obsession with Codenames, and the release of her new book Words Apart, which explores the relationship between two sisters through poetry, crosswords, and art.

This episode is full of insight, laughter, and the kind of tangents that make trivia so much fun. Aimee reminds us that sometimes the boundaries that keep us stuck are the ones we’ve built ourselves — and that curiosity really can lead you anywhere.

Topics Discussed:

🧩 How Aimee transitioned from software engineering to creative writing

🧠 The puzzle-like logic behind great trivia questions

🎧 How pop culture and current events inspire her work

🎮 Her experiences competing on game shows

🎲 Why Codenames is the ultimate friendship test

📚 The inspiration behind her new book, Words Apart

Find Aimee Lucido here:

• https://aimeelucido.com/

• Bloomberg News Quiz: Pointed

• The New Yorker Crosswords

• The NYT 60 Seconds With Aimee Lucido

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Aimee Lucido

04:11 Transition from Tech to Creative Writing

17:32 Incorporating Software Engineering into Writing

21:01 Overcoming Feelings of Being Stuck

23:18 Advice for Aspiring Writers and Puzzle Makers

24:15 Trivia Question 1

28:54 Cultural Influences in Puzzle Making

30:16 Pop Culture and Puzzle Inspiration

34:07 Sources of Puzzle Entertainment

34:38 Favorite Words in Puzzle Making

39:37 Board Games and Puzzle Dynamics

43:17 Trivia Question 2

45:42 Game Show Adventures

49:54 Strategies for Trivia and Puzzle Solving

54:43 Trivia Games and Creative Questioning

58:45 The Quizmaster

59:45 Writing for Children

01:03:52 Introducing 'Words Apart'