Will Shortz
NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).
Will sold his first puzzle professionally when he was 14 — to Venture, a denominational youth magazine. At 16 he became a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications. He is the only person in the world to hold a college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned from Indiana University in 1974.
Born in 1952 and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Indiana, Will now lives near New York City in a Tudor-style house filled with books and Arts and Crafts furniture. When he's not at work, he enjoys bicycling, movies, reading, travel, and collecting antique puzzle books and magazines.
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Listener Brendan Shera of Queens, N.Y., plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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WNYC listener Julia Frey of Brooklyn, N.Y., plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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Listener Gabrielle Sweets plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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Listener Alec Sloane of Oakland, Calif., plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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Listener Victor Urrea plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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Listener Denise Kale of Santa Barbara, Calif., plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Kale was the winner out of 2,258 correct responses.
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Brian Jones of Jacksonville, Fla., plays this week's puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
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Listener Holly Ashworth of Oak Park, Ill., plays this week's puzzle with New York Times puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
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NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Weekend Edition puzzlemaster Will Shortz play a word game with WCBE listener Todd LaPlace of Dublin, Ohio.
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NPR's Leila Fadel and Weekend Edition puzzlemaster Will Shortz play a word game with special guest, Ted Allen, host of Chopped and member of the original Queer Eye cast.