Soleil Saint-Cyr author page
1 puzzle by Soleil Saint-Cyr
with Constructor comments
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Hi everyone! I'm a high school senior at The Lawrenceville School near Princeton, New Jersey, and I am super excited to be making my New York Times debut and to be the person kicking off Black Constructors' Week!
I started constructing in August 2020, after I Twitter DM'ed Ross Trudeau asking him if he could teach me how to make puzzles. I've been solving since eighth grade, but I didn't really feel the desire to start constructing until the pandemic hit, and I suddenly had a lot of free time and not a lot of activities to fill it with. Crossword puzzles have really been an awesome way to spend my free time when I'm not talking to friends, reading, playing lacrosse, or in class. I am also very honored that my puzzle makes me the youngest female constructor ever published in the Times. I turn 18 years old in 13 days (the day before Valentine's Day), so I think this debut is an awesome way to close my formal childhood.
I was actually on the phone with Ross working on another puzzle when I came up with this theme. I don't remember exactly how he came to say the phrase HIVE MIND, but my brain immediately jumped to thinking about the types of bees in a colony. I have to admit, I had an awesome Beychella clue for HOMECOMING QUEEN, but I am very happy to debut the phrase ESSENTIAL WORKER in this theme. They've really carried us all through the past year, so I hope that this acts as a thank you to them.
Being someone who is very politically conscious, though I was too young to vote, I loved being able to include both Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the clues for today, and I also gave a little personal nod to two of my best friends who are planning on being YALIES come next fall.
Before I go, I'd like to quickly shout out Ross (again), Wyna Liu, and all of the editors who were instrumental in making this puzzle what you solved today.