#008 - party time
Welcome back to lemonade disco! We’re delighted to bring you EIGHT puzzles by NINE talented constructors. This suite marks lemonade disco’s one year anniversary - a momentous occasion, and all the more reason to celebrate! We wouldn't be here today without the support of creative and talented constructors, dedicated and thoughtful test-solvers, and really, the entire crossword community as a whole.
from all of us here at lemonade disco - thank you. you make this possible. we love the puzzles we’ve been able to share with you, and hope to bring you many, many more!
party time puzzles
Emma Lawson
Emma Lawson (she/her) is a crossword constructor and librarian based in Vancouver, BC. She has published crosswords in Universal, Spyscape, the LA Times, and the Inkubator, and regularly contributes puzzles to Toronto's new alt magazine The Grind. In 2022, she did National Crossword Writing Month (not a thing) and posted midis daily on her blog for a month. She loves grooming her rabbits and knitting socks.
Raise a Glass!
by Emma Lawson, edited by Shannon Rapp
Matt Forest
I happened to be ruminating on the phrase, "rise to the occasion," just before this prompt was announced for lemonade disco, and it seemed fitting for a Party Time theme. I extended the grid to fit 4 long theme answers plus the reveal, and I'm pleased that I was able to accommodate a fun pair of non-themed 10s. Hope you enjoy the solve!
Rise to the Occasion
by Matt Forest, edited by Taylor Johnson
Chris Evans
I'm thrilled to be a part of this puzzle pack, and I really hope you enjoy the cryptic I've put together. It's got something a bit more than my usual offerings...
Being a Brit, it can be hard to keep things fair for solvers on both sides of the pond, but I'd like to thank the superb work done by Steve and the testers in making this one fun and interesting no matter where you're solving from!
If you enjoyed this and would like to solve more of Chris' work, some of his work can be found here, with the guise Umpire.
Gift Exchange
by Chris Evans, edited by Steve Mossberg
Sean Ziebarth
Sean Ziebarth teaches high school English and journalism in Fountain Valley, California. He hosts a weekly freeform radio show Friday nights on Radio.3hive.com.
Natalie Tran
Natalie Tran is a student at the University of California, San Diego majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. As an avid crossword solver, you can find her competing with her friends on the NYT Daily Mini Leaderboard, raving to her English teacher about the new crossword that just dropped, or doing crosswords just about anywhere, whether she’s on a long flight or at the beach. Aside from the crossword addiction, you can find her binging science-related TED Talks, reviewing new foods for her foodstagram, playing some tunes on the piano, or simply reading.
Sean: Natalie and I had collaborated on several crosswords for the school paper where she served as the editor-in-chief last year. We wanted to put a puzzle out into the wider crossword world before she split for college and when Taylor announced the "Party Time" suite we jumped at the chance. I shared an idea I had been batting around, but then Natalie said, "When I hear party time, I think [the circled word in 17-Across]." We had a sweet time brainstorming the other themers and making sure we could build a solid grid with them. Enter Taylor and Shannon who had the brilliant ideas of making the other themers fall down the grid and yanking the symmetry to add to the chaos. It took a complete rebuild, but it was well worth it, as we hope you'll agree. Beating around ideas with other constructors is the best kind of party!!
A Smashing Good Time
by Natalie Tran and Sean Ziebarth, edited by Shannon Rapp
Kaye Barton
Kaye Barton is a crossword streamer and constructor from Wichita, Kansas, who has four cats and a fake mustache. This is her second puzzle in lemonade disco and the first with a solo byline. The theme was resurrected from the "ideas that aren't working yet" pile and given new life with the help of the lemonade disco editorial eye! She's glad to finally see it in the wild and says, "Put on your party hats and enjoy the solve!"
Celebrity Costume Party
by Kaye Barton, edited by Taylor Johnson
George Ho
George is a data scientist and enjoyer of puzzles, based in New York. If you imagine a penguin on a treadmill, you have a pretty good picture of him.
Themed cryptics don’t get as much attention as I think they deserve, so I was inspired to shove as much theme as I could into this puzzle! I’m pleased with how it turned out and grateful for Steve’s editorial guidance. I hope you enjoy!
Hot Spots
by George Ho, edited by Steve Mossberg
Jimmy Peniston
Jimmy (they/any) is an ecologist and educator who currently spends most of their constructing time making midi puzzles for Lil AVC X and most of their non-constructing time preparing for a move from Florida to Alaska. Don't worry though it's from northern Florida to southern Alaska, so it's not that extreme of a change… right? Please say right?
Do You Want to Dance?
by Jimmy Peniston, edited by Shannon Rapp
Dan Schwartz
Dan Schwartz (he/him) is a new-ish constructor who has been in the LA Times, Universal, and mostly his own blog xwordswithbabka. He hopes you find this puzzle enjoyable, like a delicious cake made from scratch. He, his spouse, and their two ginger cats recently moved to New York; keep them in your thoughts.
Birthday Cake Remix
by Dan Schwartz, edited by Taylor Johnson
Shannon Rapp
Shannon (she/her) is a crossword constructor, enthusiast, and aspiring speed solver from st. louis, mo. she brings her wealth of experience in collaborating, mentoring, and test solving to her work editing puzzles for lemonade disco. you can find more of her work at various venues of note as well as her blog.
On the Town
written and edited by Shannon Rapp
