![]() In the crossworld, everyone I met was open, kind, funny, compassionate and incredibly intelligent. And you can find yourself in crossworld just by wishing it - or opening up the arts section." You don't need any letters of transit or introduction. " comprises people who make puzzles, people who solve puzzles, people who get wordy tattoos, people who wear crossword watches. "The crossworld is a weird, twisted niche community, a collection of intellectual misfits who get off on wordplay," expert constructor Ross Trudeau told me. ![]() Rethinking my own life's 'grid'Įvery single crossword puzzle constructor I had the pleasure of speaking with for Across & Down generously accepted me into the "crossworld." Their world of words, grids and math is not where my own strengths lie (I mean, sure, I can spell with the help of a dictionary and answer trivia questions - if they're easy … or about The Muppets), but the idea of meeting more passionate cruciverbalists, and shining a spotlight on their goal of inclusion, was captivating.ĭuration 1:14 Crossword clues can easily be more inclusive and diverse, reflecting all the people who solve them. The notion resurfaced in my mind in 2020, as the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum and crossword puzzle creators began taking a stand to demand change in their industry. When I saw how his brain used words and grids as a means to understand the world, I was struck with the idea that crossword puzzle constructors would make a great subject for a longer documentary. A cruciverbalist is a person who has a deep affection and skill for solving and/or constructing crossword puzzles - and Walter was a whiz at building them. The name of his vocation is as intriguing as the vocation itself. Demanding change in the 'crossworld'Ībout a decade ago, I was field producing a five-minute story in Lunenburg, N.S., on cruciverbalist Walter Feener. Through my partner, I saw my own bias and understood that, until that time, my sin was one of omission. I believe that I would have never seen the larger conversation about inclusivity that was unfolding in the crossword community without this experience. ![]() I became much more aware of and engaged in discussions around diversity and equity that occupy the zeitgeist. It was clear that I, too, was guilty of misperceptions. Witnessing how the world changed its perception of my partner reformed my worldview. The experience of watching him being treated differently, simply because he no longer looked and communicated in ways that society has incorrectly judged as beautiful and competent, rippled through my life and into my work. My first real encounter with exclusion came after my partner was diagnosed with ALS and his disability began to change the way the world saw him.
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