Solving the puzzle: Crosswords, anorexia, and me
Anna Shechtman is one of the youngest crossword creators ever to have a puzzle published in the New York Times – she tells Emily Webb why writing these puzzles is a political act.
Anna Shechtman began writing crossword puzzles as a teenager - but developed an eating disorder around the same time. She became one of the youngest crossword creators to publish a puzzle in the New York Times newspaper and now writes crosswords for the New Yorker magazine, but during her recovery she sometimes feared that her illness and her love of creating crosswords were inextricably linked.
She tells Emily Webb about the art of cruciverbalism, 'crossworld', and why the creation of crossword clues is a political act.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Laura Thomas
(Photo: Anna Shechtman. Courtesy of Emily Shechtman)
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
