Crossword Puzzle Creation   

Wednesdays 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7

Have you wondered how crossword puzzles are created? This course will appeal to those who want to construct their own crosswords, those who are simply curious about the process, and those who want to be better solvers. We will explore all steps of the crossword puzzle creation process including tools, formats, themes, grid block arrangement, challenging clues, and more. We will even discuss how to submit a puzzle for publication. After a brief intro to free-form style puzzles, we will focus on US newspaper-style, symmetric, themed 15 x 15 puzzles like the NYT crossword, and an OLLI-themed puzzle. Throughout the course, we will construct several crossword puzzles together.

Your instructor: Steve Weyer 

Steve Weyer has been a cruciverbalist (crossword aficionado) since the 1990s. He is the creator of CrozzWord, a mobile app for crossword solving. Weyer has been teaching crossword topics since 2010. He constructs crosswords for libraries and other organizations and publications. His first New York Times crossword debuted in November 2023. Weyer's crosswords appear weekly in Ashland.news and on his website.