This month’s* constructor is product manager, serial-hobbyist, and stone fruit enthusiast Kate Hawkins (she/her). Kate is from the Bay Area; and soon, she, her wife, kiddos, and cats will all be living together in New York City!
*Outside of the summer tournament season, we strive to publish one spotlight on the final Saturday of each month. Before a tournament, when possible, we like to feature a constructor whose puzzle you’re about to solve. With that in mind, please join us in getting to know Lollapuzzoola constructor Kate Hawkins!
Kate! Thanks so much for making time to connect – you and I chatted right as you were in the middle of a move and about to start a new job. We’ll get to all that, but first, let’s talk about the real reason we’re here… stone fruit.
Yes! It’s the best thing in the universe. Peaches and nectarines are amazing – they’re sweet and tart and juicy and crisp; they’re just soooo good. I could eat infinite amounts of them. Stone fruit is also very seasonal; you can trace the summer over stone fruit. I think it’s the sweet-and-tart combo, it really is the best food.
Does your family share your love of stone fruit?
They love fruit, but in fact, the other day, I had this perfect nectarine (it was like a sacrifice), and I cut it up for my daughter, Margot, and she didn’t eat it! No big deal – more for me – but I was like, “Oh you don’t even know what you’re missing!”
I feel like being a parent is just cutting fruit; it’s this act of love. No one wants to cut a melon, but I’m going to cut a melon for my kids. And my mom and dad cut melons for me.
Aw that’s so sweet – and true! And, importantly, she sees that you love her (because my guess is she doesn’t always listen… or am I projecting? 😉).
Besides stone fruit, you’re passionate about many other things. You’re a self-described serial hobbyist. Tell us more about that!
Some of my more recent hobbies (all picked up in New Hampshire, where I’ve lived for the past three years) include kayaking, cross country skiing, whittling, accordion, and sourdough bread-baking.
That’s a lot of diverse hobby-ing! How is the sourdough going?
Since we’re in the middle of a move, I don’t even have my own kitchen stuff, so… not great! All my hobby gear is back in New Hampshire. But when I was making sourdough, I loved the process – tending to it, folding it, using the discard for unexpected treats like pancakes. I like that you’re working within constraints but using intuition, too. With baking, you follow the recipe, but you also have to flex and respond to the changing world around you. You use your Spidey senses on it.
Yes! You need to know when to break the rules – and then trust yourself to do it.
That’s actually kind of crossword-y. Especially writing themelesses. It’s a lot of vibes and looking to see: Has it risen enough? Is it even throughout? Is it the right amount of my voice, wordplay, etc.?
You create themeless puzzles, but you also make plenty of themed crosswords, too.
Through absolutely no intentional effort, I think I write about 50% themed, 50% themeless puzzles. I enjoy the improvisational process of writing a themeless, but sometimes a theme hits you in the face, and I will nurture those rare instances into puzzles. You’re likely to see a lot of “in-the-language” phrases in my puzzles, things like: I DON’T HAVE ALL DAY, APOLOGY TOUR, FLAVOR OF THE WEEK, CAN I SEE SOME ID, DON’T BE A STRANGER, NO TAKEBACKS, FAST CASUAL, etc.
I put I’M NOT MAD ABOUT IT in a recent themeless because my sister says it all the time and it’s an enjoyable phrase. It’s fun to canonize these phrases and meaningful words into puzzles. Words are everywhere and language is fun!
I didn’t realize this starting out, but it is delightful having people live in my universe for a bit. I get to choose cluing angles that matter to me and can make them human and personable. The biggest compliment I can get is when someone says, “Your puzzles sound so much like you,” or “I can’t solve many puzzles, but I can solve yours.” People are solving and enjoying puzzles because of the human element, and I think the more that shines through, the more successful something is. To me, a puzzle is a conversation between the constructor and solver. And when it’s over, you move on – but you’ll have another one again later!
What was it like constructing for Lollapuzzoola?
Honestly, really fun! I enjoy it when I can collaborate with editors, and the Lolla constructing experience was very collaborative. They basically just said, “Send us all your ideas for themes with animals,” and I sent a broad range of ideas. I’d never really sat down to generate themes based on a topic before. It was clear that some of my ideas would work, and some wouldn’t, but it was nice to send a list and have a back-and-forth about them with the editors.
The puzzle I ended up writing was actually the hardest puzzle I’ve ever made. I did a lot of manual-gridding, which was a very challenging process. I wasn’t sure if I could do it – but I branched out and flexed new muscles, and I’m really proud of what I made.
I also love watching people solve my puzzles, and puzzles in general! It’s great to see people be so excited about these things created by humans for other humans. The editors kept the voice and personality of the constructors in the puzzles, which I value. So, I’m excited to see what it’ll be like to have people solve my puzzle at Lolla. I fully expect that everyone will solve it and move on, and only I will still be thinking about it – but I’m excited!
I’m also looking forward to seeing all the people I’ve gotten to know through crosswords. Crossword people are so smart, and interesting, and interested. It’s magical – like being at summer camp with all the people you got to know last year, went swimming in the lake with, and now you get to see them again!
It sounds like crosswords have impacted your life and brought you a lot of joy.
It is wildly satisfying to make things that other people enjoy. Crosswords have given me a creative and intellectual outlet – and an outlet for doing something with my late-night musings about the usage of the word MUSTER, or whatever, other than making my wife listen to me talk about nautical terminology while she’s trying to fall asleep. But by far the biggest impact crosswords have had on my life is introducing me to some of the smartest, kindest, most fun humans-cum-friends.
How did you get into crosswords?
I grew up with Games magazine (thanks to my mom, who was a subscriber), but usually only tackled the picture puzzles and easier word games.
I vividly remember making photocopies of the Monday and Tuesday NYT crosswords in my high school library… and getting called out by my English teacher for attempting to solve them behind my copy of Beowulf. In college, I would attempt to solve early-week puzzles in the dining hall, but I didn’t start completing them consistently until later in adulthood.
Huge props to the AVCX free trial, which introduced me to puzzles that felt incredibly human and highlighted the constructors’ voices in a way that felt fresh and exciting. I’ve been hooked ever since. And then I wrote my first crossword for my own wedding!
I bet that was a really lovely puzzle. Did you seek out a mentor when you started constructing more regularly?
I didn’t have a formal mentor, but I owe much of my constructing sensibility to early guidance from Erik Agard. I was feeling rather stuck with the grid-making stage, and Erik offered to get on a video call to help me get unstuck. His generosity with those fifteen minutes truly changed my life.
Erik was the USA Today editor at the time, and he gave me further support by including me on his roster of constructors, by sharing an approved theme set for me to build into one of my first published puzzles, by patiently editing me through many sub-par drafts, and by giving invaluable feedback that I still keep in mind today.
Anything that sticks out that you’d want to share with us?
Years ago, I sent Erik a draft grid with NICENE in the top center. He tactfully responded something like “is the NICENE creed important to you? Do you like that there?” It was not and I did not, so I happily rewrote that grid. I owe much of my approach to filling grids cleanly and brightly to his rigorous editing of my early work. I also appreciate that he was open to the possibility that maybe the NICENE creed was important to me instead of just something my wordlist-enabled software suggested. I think about that exchange often. I don’t spend time honing my wordlists to perfection, but I do spend a lot of time making intentional choices when gridding. Why put out work I’m not excited about?
Do you have any advice for new or aspiring constructors?
You can do it! Read Patrick Berry’s introductory book. Find a friendly mentor. Solve lots of puzzles from different venues. And look at bylines! This is just general life advice too – one of the great joys of being connected to the delightful, smart, diverse group of people creating crosswords is solving, say, a Rafa puzzle and hearing the clues in his voice. If you can, attend ACPT, Lolla, Westwords, or whatever tournament you can get to. You’re certain to find a group of welcoming, enthusiastic fellow constructors with whom you may collaborate on future puzzles or share rooms and late-night clip swaps with at Connecticut’s most in-Stamford Marriott.
Speaking of fellow constructors, whose work will you go out of your way to solve?
I will drop whatever I’m doing to solve a Paolo Pasco puzzle. Driving on the highway or shopping for dinner at the time? That’s what exit ramps and leaning over my phone in the produce section are for. I have fun with every Paolo puzzle I solve, whether it’s a 15×15 themeless, an internet-only Mario-themed interactive puzzle (iykyk), or one of his brilliant cryptics. A Paolo Pasco puzzle is a guaranteed good time. Wyna Liu writes some of my favorite clues. Robyn Weintraub makes puzzles that I think have most influenced my own.
Yes! Let’s talk about your puzzles. Please share some of your greatest hits with us.
I am particularly proud of one of my earlier puzzle forays (NYT Feb 10, 2021) with themers UMP SPEECH, EEL TRAP, RANGE BEDFELLOWS [The main characters of “Brokeback Mountain,” e.g.?], ALEMATE, and ICKY NOTES, and revealer ST-OUT [Kind of beer… or a multi-word hint to the theme]. RANGE BEDFELLOWS still makes me smile.
My mom likes to tease me for having a toilet-themed puzzle in the NYTimes (Feb 23, 2021). Definitely proud of debuting POTTY MOUTH (since reused!).
No spoilers but as I said, the upcoming puzzle for Lollapuzzoola was certainly the most ambitious gridding work I’d ever taken on (puzzle-making is so much harder without the support of wordlist-enabled software!). I’m proud of how it turned out!
Where are you published?
I’ve been lucky! I’ve had nearly 20 puzzles in the NYT and many more dozens of puzzles I’m very proud of in AVXC, USA Today, Puzzmo, Autostraddle, Defector, The Inkubator, The Atlantic, charity packs such as TPFA, a fun A24 crossword book, and more.
And now your new job has something to do with puzzles, correct? Would you mind sharing more about it?
Sure! In my new job, which is what prompted the move to New York, I’ll be helping scale and make-awesome the puzzles and games suite at Condé Nast – starting with puzzles and games for The New Yorker. My official title is Senior Product Manager of Puzzles and Games. It feels like a delightfully perfect fit.
Congratulations! What an exciting life event. Did you go to school for product management?
No, I went to Yale and majored in American Studies. I wanted to learn about literature, film, history, architecture, etc., and that interdisciplinary major let me explore it all. My base of knowledge and interests is vast, but my actual knowledge is pretty shallow. I can play a lot of instruments… badly. Enough that it’s fun to do, but not expertly. This mindset, however, is helpful in product work, because the way to be successful is to be broadly curious. It’s the same in crosswords, too – I love that you get to have references to the whole world.
Kate, you said you’re good at a lot of things but not great at any one thing. May I gently point out that you’re being interviewed because you’re a prolific, talented, engaging crossword constructor…
This is actually the one hobby I’ve stuck with long enough to be good at it. Crosswords are just a really good fit for me: the logic of constructing a good grid and the connections you make when you clue – it suits my interests and abilities.
If you could change something about the crossword landscape, what would it be?
Selfishly, I would love to see more cryptic crosswords from American outlets. Cryptics can be enjoyed in bite-sized pieces. They can be solved collaboratively. They are extremely satisfying to solve. There’s a bit of a barrier to getting started solving them, but if they were more ubiquitous, I think the world would be slightly more delightful.
I also love it when puzzles are collaborative. This summer in San Francisco, there was a city-wide scavenger hunt called SF Pursuit that was so charming. There were tons of people out on the street, touching physical objects in the world, going to restaurants, talking to people and collaborating. It’s not always apparent how communal and truly interactive puzzles can be, and watching the execution of this non-commercial, just-for-fun scavenger hunt was great.
What would DCL readers be surprised to learn about you?
For a person who makes crosswords and loves puzzles, I am terrible at names, geography, and trivia. I will join your pub trivia team, and I will be very convincing… but I will also likely be wrong. You’ve been forewarned!
Also, I have a ton of social energy and I’m always down to hang. If anyone is in the same city and you want to get together, I’m game!
Alright, time for the rapid-fire round!
Coffee or tea?
Both. All. I famously love beverages. I will have like eight of them in front of me at one time.
Sweet or savory?
Savory, especially if we’re talking about breakfast.
Favorite crossword resource?
Shoutout to my ride-or-die rhymezone.com
Favorite comfort show?
I will rewatch everything. I wouldn’t say I have a comfort show, but I’m a big “Drag Race” fan. Also “BoJack” and anything from the “30 Rock” or “Parks and Rec” universe.
Explore the deep sea or outer space?
Outer space. How could you not want to explore what’s out there!?
Go-to emoji?
Double Exclamation Mark Emoji
Three words your closest friends would use to describe you?
Sparkles, sneakers, sandwiches
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This interview has been edited and condensed.
Jess Rucks is a play therapist and crossword constructor. She is happy to combine her love of learning about others with her love of crosswords for DCL’s Constructor Spotlight.
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