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Modern Art Notes describes Elizabeth C. Gorski as a puzzle writer "known for her entertaining, creative 'holy cow!' grids."
She is hailed as one of the country's leading creators of the American-style crossword puzzle. Her daily syndicated King Features crosswords appear in publications throughout the United States and Canada.

Ms. Gorski is best-known for her innovative and visually-rich architectural crosswords, including works that celebrate One World Trade Center, The Empire State Building, The Louvre and The Guggenheim Museum.


At The New York Times, she is the most-published woman crossword writer during Will Shortz's editorship. During her 21-year run, she created 67 Sunday crosswords and 152 daily puzzles for The New York Times. The newspaper selected her to co-create a special puzzle with Martha Stewart.


An innovator of new puzzle forms, Ms. Gorski invented the popular "Connect-The-Dots" crossword that debuted in The New York TimesIn 2015, Hearst chose her to succeed Henry Hook as syndicated puzzle writer for King Features. 

Ms. Gorski is a monthly contributor to The New Yorker, where she also writes the annual music-themed "Year-in-Review" crossword.

She is founder of Crossword Nation, an indie puzzle provider. Her custom work is commissioned by the film industry, libraries, museums and private clients. Her new book of puzzles -- Crosswords for Classical Music Lovers -- was published by Crossword Nation Press in June 2026.


Ms. Gorski is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. She lives in New York City and is passionate about the viola, clay court tennis, calligraphy, Argentine tango, and the blues guitar.

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Awards and Street Cred

  • Cited as an "Influential Crossword Master" by the International Business Times (IBT, September 2023)

  • Six-time winner of Simon & Schuster's Margaret Award

  • Constructor of the Year (Jim Horne, 2013

  • Sunday Crossword Grand Slam of 2006*

  • Ms. Gorski's New York Times Sunday puzzle, "High Definition," was selected as one of "Five Unforgettable Puzzles" in Patrick Creadon's documentary Wordplay

Image by Judith Browne
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© 2026 Crossword Nation

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