Sam Ezersky (born May 29, 1995) is an American puzzle editor and crossword constructor who is the editor of The New York Times Spelling Bee. He has worked for the New York Times games department since 2017.
Sam Ezersky | |
|---|---|
_01.jpg) Ezersky at the 2024 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament | |
| Born | May 29, 1995[1] Pikesville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | Editor of The New York Times Spelling Bee |
Early life and education
editEzersky was born in Pikesville, Maryland, outside of Baltimore. He became interested in puzzles at a young age, solving his first Fill-In puzzle when he was only five or six.[2][3] He began constructing crossword puzzles and submitting them to newspapers by age 14. When he was 16, he published his first crossword, which ran in the Los Angeles Times on March 25, 2012, and when he was 17, his first New York Times puzzle, a collaboration with Vic Fleming, appeared on July 28, 2012.[4][5]
Ezersky graduated in 2017 from the University of Virginia, where he double-majored in mechanical engineering and economics—and, for two years, wrote a weekly crossword puzzle for the Cavalier Daily.[4][6][7] In 2016, when New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz was in town for a commencement speech, Ezersky, then still in college, had him over to his house to talk puzzles. Ezersky kept in touch afterwards and interned for Shortz that winter.
Career
editEzersky was hired right out of college, in 2017, as an assistant puzzle editor for The New York Times, where he helps review and edit crossword submissions to the newspaper.[3][5] As of March 2024[update], he has also published 56 of his own crosswords in the Times.[8]
Ezersky became the editor of the Times's daily online Spelling Bee game at its launch in 2018.[2][9] The game has amassed an online following known as the Hivemind, which constantly reacts to Ezersky's decisions to include or exclude words from the game.[10][11][12]
Ezersky also edits the newspaper's Letter Boxed game, which debuted in 2019.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ "Teenage Constructors". XWord Info. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Weiss, Max (December 2023). "The 'New York Times' Spelling Bee Editor is Proud of His Baltimore Roots". Baltimore. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Hausman, Sandy (June 8, 2017). "UVA's King of Crosswords Wins Dream Job". WVTF. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Gilman, Eleanor (April 8, 2020). "How a Crossword Puzzle Pro Landed His Dream Job". New Jersey Monthly. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Amlen, Deb (October 22, 2018). "60 Seconds With Sam Ezersky". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Grossman, Sam (Winter 2022). "The Bee Keeper". Virginia. UVA Alumni Association. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Jiffar, Miriella (March 15, 2024). "For Sam Ezersky, puzzles are more than just a game". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Sam Ezersky page". XWord Info. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Wu, Ashley (August 14, 2022). "Your Spelling Bee Questions, Answered". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Holliday, Lauren; Zimmer, Ben (August 31, 2021). "Insider Secrets of the Spelling Bee". Slate. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Fielding-Smith, Abigail (April 19, 2022). "The Wordle hurdle: the pitfalls of setting puzzles". The Economist. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022.
- ^ Klein, Charlotte (December 19, 2023). "Inside The New York Times' Big Bet on Games". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Sarkar, Samit (February 1, 2019). "New York Times develops new word game for crossword section". Polygon. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Gurewitsch, Matthew (April 1, 2023). "Close-Up: Sam Ezersky". Air Mail. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024.