The riddles of the Sphinx : inheriting the feminist history of the crossword puzzle
(Spoken CD)

Compact disc.

Title from container.

PDF on disc #7.

Read by Anna Shechtman.

Anna Shechtman published her first New York Times puzzle at age nineteen, and later, spearheaded the formation of The New Yorker₂s popular crossword section, for which she is today a biweekly contributor. Working with a medium often criticized as exclusionary, elitist, and out-of-touch, Anna is widely regarded as a crossword revolutionary, a female prodigy who has come to dominate an overwhelmingly male field, and who steadfastly works to make puzzles more gender-inclusive and accessible for diverse audiences. She excavates the hidden history of the crossword and the overlooked women who have been central to its creation and evolution, from the ₃Crossword Craze₄ of the 1920s to the role of digital technology today. As she tells the story of her own experience in the CrossWorld, she analyzes the roles assigned to women in American culture, the boxes they₂ve been allowed to fill, and the ways in which they₂ve used crosswords as both a form of social critique and rebellion.