March 27, 2021

Title: MIXED FLOCK

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CASSOWARY (16A: The 31-Down clue rearranged) (31D: Way across)

CORMORANT (35A: The 5-Down clue rearranged) (5D: Actor Norm)

SNAIL KITE (60A: The 15-Down clue rearranged) (15D: Saintlike)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer is a different kind of bird, giving us a MIXED FLOCK. Each bird's name has been MIXED (anagrammed) and used as a clue for another answer in the puzzle.

Things I learned:

• OLSEN (18A: Singer-songwriter Angel) Indie rock singer-songwriter, Angel OLSEN, released her fifth studio album, titled Whole New Mess, in 2020. 
• DST (23A: Sorority that once had Dorothy Height as its national president, for short) Delta Sigma Theta, or DST, is a historically Black sorority founded in 1913 at Howard University. Civil and Women's Rights activist, Dorothy Height, served as the 10th National President of DST. Dorothy Height helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Many DST members participated in the march.
• GOD TIER (24A: Really upper-echelon) The term GOD TIER is used in anime to describe the strongest characters, and in video games to describe players at the highest level or levels of powers available to those characters. I wanted this answer to be TOP TIER, but that would have made the answer to (15D: Saintlike) GOOP. As comical as that was, I knew it wasn't right! When I finally figured out the answer was GOD TIER, I thought, "I've never heard of GOD TIER. Wait, have I heard the phrase GOD TIER? Maybe."
• BBC (38A: "Man Like Mobeen" channel) Man Like Mobeen is a BBC TV series that follows the life of the title character, a reformed drug dealer trying to live a good life as a Muslim while raising his younger sister. Guz Khan, who plays Mobeen, first gained popularity as a result of videos posted on Facebook and YouTube.
• LEWIS (5D: Actor Norm) Norm LEWIS is a singer and actor. He originated the role of King Triton in the 2007 Broadway production of The Little Mermaid, and he was the first Black actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. LEWIS played the role of Caiaphas in the 2018 televised production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CASSOWARY (16A: The 31-Down clue rearranged) In addition to being an anagram of "Way across," a CASSOWARY is a flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, East Nusa Tenggara, the Maluku Islands, and northeastern Australia. 
• CORMORANT (35A: The 5-Down clue rearranged) In addition to being an anagram of "Actor Norm," a CORMORANT is a seabird with a long, thin, hooked bill. In some parts of the world, CORMORANTs have been used in the fishing industry. Although mostly replaced by more efficient methods, CORMORANT fishing is still practiced in some places as a cultural tradition and as demonstrations for tourists.
• EDU (52A: Dillard URL ending) Dillard University is a private, historically Black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. 
• SNAIL KITE (60A: The 15-Down clue rearranged) In addition to being an anagram of "Saintlike," a SNAIL KITE is a bird of prey in the same family as eagles and hawks. The SNAIL KITE is found in South America, the Caribbean, and central and southern Florida.
• HASHTAG (3D: #SettlerSaturday, e.g.) The HASHTAG #SettlerSaturday is used to highlight the stories of indigenous folks in need of assistance. It's designed as a way for settler allies to give back to indigenous people and causes.
• BRAILLE (39D: ___ Literacy Month (January)) January is BRAILLE Literacy Month in honor of Louis BRAILLE, whose birthday is January 4. The mission of the month is to raise awareness of the importance of BRAILLE.

Geography review:

• OAHU (32A: Hawaiian island nicknamed "The Gathering Place") OAHU is the third largest of the Hawaiian islands. About two-thirds of Hawaiians live on OAHU, and it is the island most visited by tourists, earning it the nickname, "The Gathering Place."
• FLINT (62A: Michigan city where many Christopher Paul Curtis books are set) Children's book author, Christopher Paul Curtis was born and raised in FLINT, Michigan, and has used the city as a setting for many of his books. His books include Bud, Not Buddy and The Watson's Go to Birmingham. 
• INDY (66A: Capital home to the Fever, for short) The Indiana Fever are a WNBA team whose home arena is the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (INDY), Indiana.
• HERALD (47D: Miami newspaper) The Miami HERALD, founded in 1903, is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, and has received 22 Pulitzer Prizes.

This is an interesting theme, with the anagrams of the answers found not in the clues for the theme answers themselves, but in other clues in the puzzle. I liked the grid design of this one. The staircase-shaped block of black squares on each side of the puzzle is a fun visual, and results in wide-open upper right and lower left corners. This leads to a couple of nice trios of down answers: POST-ITS/PREHEAT/SYNERGY and BEST OFF/BRAILLE/CAVED IN. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to start my Saturday.

On a personal note, Happy Birthday to my Mom today! :-)