Anna Shechtman Decodes the Crossword Puzzle in 'Riddle of the Sphinx'

Can you think of a seven-letter word for “complex character?” If your mind flows to “Oedipus,” you’re probably comfortable among the wonderful, nerdy world of crossword puzzle fanatics. Anna Shechtman has been making crosswords since she was 15, drawn to the idea that through riddles and puns a puzzle constructor can access “something foundational about language — a quasi mathematical code that could be rearranged and manipulated through brain power alone.” We talk to Shechtman, who now creates puzzles for the New Yorker, about the art, politics and history of crossword making. Her new book is “The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle.”

Guests:

Anna Shechtman, author, "The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle"; assistant professor, Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University