Puzzle Notes

Dear friends,

This week's Classic puzzle is by forever fav constructor, AVCXer, and friend Stella Zawistowski. It's called "Don't Be So Possessive!" and it's 2.5/5 difficulty.

Stella made you this standard American-style crossword, but she's more often seen, at least in AVCX-world, editing or making cryptics, and she never misses a chance to evangelize for that kind of puzzle. You're a subscriber, so what are you waiting for? Dive into our awesome back catalog, which includes a number of 5x7 mini puzzles if you're feeling daunted by the idea of solving a full-size cryptic. Follow Stella on Instagram for a #crypticclueaday, plus explanations every #explanationfriday.

And a plug for a new book some of you will be super excited about: on October 7th, long-time AVCX contributor and trivia editor Aimee Lucido is launching what she's referring to as a "crossword-adjacent" novel for kids ages 8-12. The book is called Words Apart and the story is told in a combination of comics, verse, and, yes, solvable crossword puzzles. If you want to support the book, you can pre-order a signed copy from Books of Wonder in NYC or Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley, and if you're located near NYC or the Bay Area, you can attend an in-person launch event. RSVP here for the East Coast event and here for the West Coast. Rumor has it that crosswords will be a major component of the party, but snacks will also have a starring role. We hope to see you there!

Yrs,
Ben and the expanded AVCX crew


avxwords.com // @avcx.bsky.social' // @lilavcx.bsky.social' // @avcxtrivia.bsky.social'

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