The very first Times puzzle editor was, in fact, a woman. The DELPY incident is, if you will, a clue to something else. And in an industry enjoyed by so many-the Times puzzle subscriber base alone is 200,000-and endorsed by an institution as venerable as the Grey Lady, this is an issue worth investigating. In terms of leadership structure, puzzles very much fit the male-centric mold, with control-at the construction and editing level-predominantly held by men. Why would taking a prominent woman out of the puzzle broaden its appeal? This question, and others like it, lie at the heart of some deeper issues that have plagued the puzzle industry, including at the Times, since way before DELPY got the axe.Ĭrossword puzzling exists at a precarious intersection between games and publishing, two spheres that have long struggled with issues of gender parity. But even if we had, I probably would have changed the answer to DELTA anyway to broaden the puzzle's appeal." Personally, I didn't know the name, nor did my assistant (who, admittedly, is male). "Generally speaking, in crosswords, I prefer vocabulary that everyone knows to proper names that some people know and some don't. Yet despite the backlash, Shortz told me he stands by his decision. I think she’s enormously appealing," she notes. "Julie Delpy is an actress, screenwriter and songwriter with two Oscar nominations. Gorski herself says she was surprised and disappointed such an esteemed artist-a woman spotlighted by the Timesitself just a year ago-would be considered too "unappealing" for the nation's most pedigreed puzzle. Julie DELPY is welcome in my #crossword any day of the week. Rex Parker, known for his own popular blog about the Times puzzle, tweeted: One of the entries he wanted edited out of the grid because it was 'unappealing' was DELPY? Julie Delpy, star of the acclaimed 18-year Richard Linklater trilogy with Ethan Hawke? Before Sunrise in 1995, Before Sunset in 2004, and Before Midnight in 2013 were all great films (still need to see the third one!) and I would have loved seeing DELPY in the puzzle. "I checked out Will Shortz’s notes on this puzzle at Wordplay, and I’m dumbfounded. On her " Diary of a Crossword Fiend" blog, Amy Reynaldo remarked: The curious decision to rid the puzzle of such a notable female figure created a relative uproar in the usually calm crossword community. Given the presence of those individuals, Gorski says, "I welcomed the opportunity to include Delpy-a strong, accomplished, contemporary woman." Yet plenty of seemingly equally known male figures were left in, including BRUCE LEE, WALDO PEPPER, LINUS and BERNINI. The prompt? " Intimate Affairs actress." The answer? Julie DELPY, the award-winning director, actress and singer-songwriter.Įditor Will Shortz, in his public notes about the puzzle, said he found the Delpy entry to be " unappealing"-with no other explanation given-and so excised it. Except in Gorski's original puzzle, 54 down was another clue and answer entirely. In it was this clue, positioned at 54 down: "What a big mouth might have." Answer? DELTA. Just over a month ago, Elizabeth Gorski, one of the premier crossword puzzle constructors for the Times and other prominent outlets-and one of only a handful of star female constructors in the whole biz-had a puzzle published in the Wednesday Times. A tone-deaf comment on a cable-TV network.īut many other times, these issues manifest in far more subtle ways-as subtle, even, as a seemingly mundane New York Times crossword puzzle clue. Often, a gender politics issue manifests in an obvious way: a new law that hinders women's rights.
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