The Crossword Kid

Sam Ezersky is “The “Crossword Kid.” He sold his first crossword puzzle to The New York Times at seventeen and is now about to be the assistant puzzle editor at the paper. Ezersky talks about why crossword puzzles have endured and challenges the interviewer with some of his favorite crossword clues.

Last year, a new edition of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI credited Christopher Marlowe as a coauthor. Rumors about the two playwrights have long swirled—did they collaborate? Could they actually be the same person? Grace Godwin studies Marlowe and says that it’s time more Americans think of him as a great playwright on his own.

Jon Pineda is a poet and novelist. His latest memoir, Sleep in Me, chronicles his sister Rica’s sudden transformation from a vibrant high school cheerleader to a girl wheelchair bound and unable to talk.

A story that explores the moral complexities of the ivory trade is told from an unconventional perspective. In her novel The Tusk That Did the Damage, author Tania James takes us into the hearts and minds of a homicidal elephant, a poacher, and a documentary filmmaker.