May 9, 2021

Title: UPWARDLY MOBILE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

TERRA COTTA (3D: Planter material)

EXTRA CHEESE (9D: Pizza add-on)

OPERA CRITIC (24D: Evaluator of arias)

CAMERA CREW (33D: Filming team)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letter string "R-A-C" spanning the two words in the answer. Since the answers are vertical, reading UPWARDLY these letters spell CAR, which is one method of being MOBILE.

Things I learned:

• APPS (28A: On the ___ (swiping for matches)) "On the APPS" was a new phrase to me, so I was thankful for the "swiping for matches" hint. To be fair, this month my husband and I will celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary, so it's been a bit since I was "on the APPS," even if they had existed then. Surprisingly, I didn't find "on the APPS" in the Urban Dictionary, but I did find a humorous essay about dating APPS.
• REESE (41A: "Detransition, Baby" protagonist) Detransition, Baby is a book by Torrey Peters. The protagonist of the novel, REESE, is a trans woman who has always longed to be a mother. Ames, her ex (who was Amy when they were together, but detransitioned after they broke up), contacts her with a request for her to be a second mother to the baby his lover is carrying. The book has received good reviews, and a TV series adaptation is underway. 
• ORTEGA (44A: Actress Jenna) Jenna ORTEGA played the role of young Jane on the TV series, Jane the Virgin, and voiced the role of Princess Isabel on the show Elena of Avalor. She is also active on social media, and known for her activism on a variety of issues, including LGBTQ advocacy and immigration support. 
• REN (51A: Model Alexis) Alexis REN has been modeling since she was 13 years old, and a social media personality for almost as long. She was a celebrity contestant on season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. 
• ELLA (54A: "Waiting All Night" singer Eyre) ELLA Eyre collaborated with the British band, Rudimental, on the song, "Waiting All Night." The song won the 2014 Brit Award for British Single of the Year. 
• LARA (11D: "Midnight Breed" author Adrian) LARA Adrian is the pseudonym of writer Tina St. John. The Midnight Breed books are a series of paranormal romances involving vampires. 
• ECHO (22D: "___ in My Soul" (Septima Poinsette Clark autobiography)) Septima Poinsette Clark was an educator and civil rights activist. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Clark as "the Mother of the Movement." While teaching on John's Island, one of a chain of islands off the coast of South Carolina, Septima Poinsette Clark taught children during the day, and on her own time, taught illiterate adults how to read. Noticing the discrepancies between her school and the school across the street that taught white students, Clark became a proponent for pay equalization for teachers. Perhaps Clark's most well-known work was the establishment of "Citizenship Schools" throughout the southern United States, teaching literacy and citizenship to adults. Her autobiography, ECHO in My Soul, was written in 1962. 
• ATE (32D: Had some tteokbokki, say) Tteokbokki is a food in Korean cuisine, that is made with cylinder-shaped rice cakes. The dish can be made with a spicy or non-spicy sauce.
• ERICA (53D: "Buss It" rapper Banks) "Buss It," the first charting single for ERICA Banks, went viral on TikTok last year. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• RHEA (14A: "Better Call Saul" star Seehorn) RHEA Seehorn plays the role of attorney Kim Wexler on the TV Series, Better Call Saul, a spin-off of and prequel to Breaking Bad. 
• ROTS (39A: Turns to compost) Composting is magical. You can invest in complex systems to help you compost, and follow instructions about routinely turning the compost, and I'm not saying you shouldn't do that, but my husband and I are pretty lazy (or efficient, depending on your point of view), so we simply pile our food scraps and yard waste in a corner of our yard. No matter how much material we put on our compost pile, over time it shrinks as the material ROTS. In return, we receive this lovely nutrient-rich dirt to spread on our garden. One night (early morning actually, it was 1:00 a.m.) I looked out our bedroom window and saw that our compost pile was on fire...but that's a story for another day!
• ARMS (1D: Shiva is often pictured with four) Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Shiva. According to the site Reference, Shiva's four ARMS represent the four cardinal directions, with each hand making a specific gesture, or holding a certain object. 
• LOLA (6D: "Kinky Boots" drag queen) Cyndi Lauper, who we just saw in yesterday's puzzle, wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, Kinky Boots, which was based on a 2005 British movie by the same name. Kinky Boots, inspired by true events, tells the story of Charlie Price, who inherited a shoe factory from his father, and ends up in partnership with a drag queen named LOLA. This is a musical I would like to see again, once live theater is an option.

Geography review:

• SOCHI (62A: Russia's "Summer Capital") SOCHI is located on the Black Sea in southern Russia. It is one of the few places in Russia with a subtropical climate, which has led to it becoming the unofficial "Summer Capital" of the country.
• PISA (68A: Leaning Tower City) PISA is a city in Italy located on the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. PISA is well-known for its leaning bell tower.
• EUROS (26D: Money in Malta and Monaco) Malta is an island country in Southern Europe. Its capital is Valletta. Monaco is a sovereign city-state in Western Europe.
• WELSH (47D: From Cardiff, e.g.) Cardiff is the main commercial center of Wales.
• MESA (58D: Arizona city named for a landform) MESA, Arizona is located about 20 miles east of Phoenix.
• OMAN (60D: Country headed by a sultan) OMAN, a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, is officially known as the Sultanate of OMAN.

I enjoyed this theme and the playful interpretation of the phrase, UPWARDLY MOBILE. A nice set of theme answers, especially EXTRA CHEESE, which is always a good thing. There were quite a few things that were new to me in this puzzle, but that fact didn't cause any solving challenges, as I was able to infer answers, or figure things out from crossing answers. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Sunday. Happy day to all wise and wonderful women!