Welcoming a new "EMMY" to the Crossword-sphere -- EMMY LINDSTROM
- La Liz Liz
- May 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 2
After a long, cold tenure, Winter has reluctantly passed the baton to Spring. At times we're still wearing hats and scarves, but the calendar says: May 2025. I suspect we'll dive right into summer -- in typical New York City fashion -- so it's best to keep the t-shirts next to the parkas and dress on an "as needed" basis.
A quick recap on what's going on: I'm writing a daily puzzle for Hearst and other puzzles for KFS, The New Yorker and Crossword Nation. It's a demanding schedule, but I've managed to devote more time to viola practice. The two disciplines -- crossword-writing and musical study -- inform each other deeply, as a form of cross-training.
After an evening of string-quartet reading (late Beethoven, Shostakovich, Mozart), I'm so keyed up that there's no use trying to sleep. My head is spinning with crossword patterns and ideas generated by the complexities of sight-reading chamber music. It's a good thing, though, because there's a big deadline looming at summer's end -- the manuscript for a new book of puzzles. I'm facing a long, hot summer of writing, and I'm here for it!
Latest puzzles: Check out my newest New Yorker puzzle (5/12/2025) here. And if you're a binge-solver, you can knock off all 130 pieces; they're all there.
Books: "All the Beauty in the World" has my heart right now. I'm reading it at a snail's pace, as I don't want it to end.
New York City Pyramids: During a recent visit to One World Trade Center, we couldn't not capture one of its soaring pyramids, viewed from a base of flowers.
Orchestra doings: I recently had the pleasure of performing a piece, At the Hills of Hampstead Heath, by Swedish composer Emmy Lindström. This clarinet concerto is brave, complex, and sublime. My favorite recording of this piece features Emil Jonason as the clarinet soloist. The second movement is a melodic dreamscape that one wants to revisit again and again. Until next time, I remain,
Cruciverbally yours,
Liz
