‘Universal Crossword’ pays tribute to Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month in March, Universal Crossword is releasing 36 crossword puzzles (dailies and Sundays) created by female constructors. This is the first time in history that a month of crosswords has been written solely by women. For an industry in which men make up the majority of published newspaper constructors, this is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Universal Crossword editor David Steinberg and constructor Rebecca Falcon are the masterminds behind this momentous event. Falcon initially brought the idea to Steinberg, who was fully supportive of making it happen.

“I am thrilled to have the support of David [Steinberg] and the Universal Crossword,” said Falcon. “With 36 puzzles to publish this month, and the reach of the puzzle, this commitment is an incredible step forward that will serve to both show solvers the incredible talent of a huge number of women and encourage future constructions.”

Steinberg previously implemented the Universal Crossword Equal Representation Project (UCERP) with the goals of advancing the puzzles and crossword community at large and attaining broader representation from underrepresented constructor populations, such as women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“As I see it, this event is not so much a Universal Crossword Women’s March as the beginning of a Universal Crossword women’s movement, and I hope the puzzles this month inspire more women to construct for Universal as well as for other markets,” said Steinberg. “I’d like to thank Rebecca Falcon for the inspiration, Andrews McMeel Universal and the crossword community for supporting me in this endeavor, and especially the 43 (and counting) brilliant women constructors whose puzzles made this possible.”

“Having people from underrepresented groups brings new perspectives,” Steinberg said previously. “People think differently in terms of how they write their clues and build their themes. Women are one example of a voice that is missing in the crossword community, and women count for a large portion of the solvers, but not the constructors, so it’s good to balance that out more.”

Universal Crossword, the original hit puzzle from Andrews McMeel Syndication, sets the standard for all daily crosswords. Clues and themes are served up fresh daily in this classic puzzle, which also has a 21×21 Sunday version for the more intense cruciverbalists.

Play along with this month’s puzzles.