May 6, 2022

Title: *

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

MALCOLM X (22A: Minister with a famous quote about progress)

LUCILLE TIMES (39A: Cafe owner who started a bus boycott in Montgomery in June of 1955)

BY RIGHTS (56A: If things had been just)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains a word or symbol used to indicate multiplication, as does the title: *, X, TIMES, BY.

Things I learned:

• LUCILLE TIMES (39A: Cafe owner who started a bus boycott in Montgomery in June of 1955) LUCILLE TIMES began organizing a Montgomery bus boycott nearly six months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. Interestingly, the driver that ordered Rosa Parks to give up her seat was the same one that angered LUCILLE TIMES and spurred her to action. LUCILLE TIMES was driving her car when a bus driver tried to run her off the road three times. After a confrontation with the bus driver, LUCILLE TIMES began organizing rides for Black people so they could avoid riding the bus. LUCILLE TIMES died in 2021 at the age of 100.
• TEAS (63A: Just Add Honey purchases) Just Add Honey sells TEAS in their flagship store in Atlanta, Georgia, but their tea is also available online and in specialty stores across the United States. I just might have to try their black coconut tea. 
• EDM (66A: Kaytranada genre) EDM is Electronic Dance Music, and refers to percussive electronic music often made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. Kaytranada won two Grammy Awards in 2021 - Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording.
• ALEX (11D: Writer E. ___ Jung) E. ALEX Jung is a Senior Writer for New York magazine. 
• ALI (51D: Ben and Virginia ___, founders of Ben's Chili Bowl) Ben and Virginia ALI established Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C. in 1958. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MALCOLM X (22A: Minister with a famous quote about progress) MALCOLM X said, "If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there's no progress. If you pull it all the way out, that's not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made."
• CAN (42A: Because of Them We ___ (Black history website)) Eunique Jones began the website Because of Them We CAN in 2013 as a 28-day photo campaign where children appeared as iconic Black history figures. The site has evolved into an online platform "committed to responsibly engaging our audience (especially our children) with content and tools that help them embrace, amplify, and exude Black excellence on a daily basis."
• CAT TOY (50A: Plaything for Jorts) Jorts is the name of a CAT that has achieved Internet fame.
  
  Willow does have CAT TOYs, but I couldn't find any pictures of her playing with them, so here's a photo of her burrowed under several blankets.
• STAT (67A: Blocks per game, for example) I had a funny interaction with this clue. The first thing I thought of when I read the clue was a board game, not a sports event, and I was trying to figure out a game that uses blocks (Jenga? Blokus?) and what "blocks per game" could mean. Ah, no, it's much simpler than that.
• EBT (4D: Payment card letters) Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) is a system used to purchase food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
• POEM (5D: Haiku or tanka) I have previously discussed haiku and tanka - genres of Japanese poetry - by writing a POEM of each form.
• ALLAH (29D: "Masha ___") "Masha ALLAH" is an Islamic phrase used to express appreciation about a person or event. The phrase translates to "what God has willed has happened."

Geography review:

• AREA (65A: The Bay ___) The Bay AREA refers to the region surrounding San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisun Bay in California.
• ALABAMA (1D: Montgomery is its capital) This is a nice tie-in with the LUCILLE TIMES clue. One of Montgomery, ALABAMA's nicknames is "Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement."

When I saw the * as the title of today's puzzle, I thought, "But wait, there's more..." I was immediately intrigued to solve the puzzle. As I mentioned above, I think the theme of the puzzle relates to multiplication. However, there's a possibility there's more. I was struck by the idea that the clue for MALCOLM X might lead some solvers to think of Martin Luther King, Jr. Likewise, the clue for LUCILLE TIMES might lead some people to think of Rosa Parks. Perhaps the * reminds us that we often hear about a few important people, but there are always many more folks involved in fighting for justice. Although these people might end up being an * in history books, that doesn't make them less INTEGRAL (41D: Vitally important). Today's asymmetrical grid is quite fun. The stair step pattern of the black squares is so interesting. And today's puzzle wins the award for shortest title. Thank you, Erik, for a puzzle that got me thinking and made for a great start to my Friday. 

Also, shout out to Darby Ratliff who is blogging today's puzzle over at Crossword Fiend. Darby and I had a discussion about today's puzzle as we were each working on our own write-ups. Sometimes it's helpful to bounce ideas off of someone else. Darby and I agree that the crossword community is the best! (We also agree you should read the Thursday Next books...see my writeup from yesterday for more info about that book series.)