#004 - oh oh, it’s magic!
Matt Gritzmacher
Matt discovered the indie crossword scene in 2016, and has a particular passion for test-solving puzzles. This is his second puzzle following an AVCX collab with Brooke Husic earlier this year.
Shannon Rapp
Shannon started making crosswords in 2020 and began writing puzzles for her blog in early 2021. Since then, she has written puzzles for AVCX+, Lil AVC X, Crucinova, LA Times, Inkubator, and Universal, with more to come. You can probably find her at the next tournament, talking up indie puzzles to anyone who will listen and desperately trying not to come in last place.
You may know Matt Gritzmacher and Shannon Rapp from their work at Daily Crossword Links. They say: "We've been working together and talking crosswords for well over a year, so the next step was obviously collaborating on a puzzle! We're so pleased that our first one gets to appear in Lemonade Disco. We both love the indie spirit of this project and are so appreciative of Taylor's commitment to including constructors of all levels of experience. We owe a huge thank you to Alex Boisvert for helping make this one work."
The Art of Misdirection
By: Matt Gritzmacher & Shannon Rapp, edited by: Taylor Johnson
Matt Forest
Matt Forest is a crossword constructor currently living in Minnesota with his wife and 3 young kids. He loves to write indie puzzles (so much so that he started his own blog, (check out his site!) and has also been published in the LA Times and Universal. If he had to pick a dark art to practice it would probably be voodoo, because making dolls might be fun, but then again he's probably not petty enough to stick pins into his enemies. Maybe like "good juju voodoo" where he uses the dolls to bring good karma to his friends? That would be cool.
Aaron Ullman
Aaron is a forensic chemist from the Philadelphia suburbs who dabbles in crossword constructing in between changing diapers and doling out Veggie Straws. One or two of his puzzles have even popped up in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He loves a good book, a crackly vinyl record, all things Cleveland sports, and knows firsthand about gerbil breeding.
Paolo Pasco
Paolo Pasco is a data scientist from San Diego, and a crossword constructor still from San Diego. Check out his puzzles at The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Browser, and sometimes The New York Times. He's halfway through a Columbo watch, and he's gotta say, he's hooked.
