June 7, 2022

Title: ALL OVER THE PLACE

Constructor: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

WISH YOU WERE HERE (20A: Bittersweet postcard message)

I'LL BE RIGHT THERE (37A: "On my way, sit tight!")

WE ARE EVERYWHERE (54A: Queer visibility slogan that's the title of a 2019 visual history book)

Theme synopsis: The last words of the theme answers are (literally) HERE, THERE, and EVERYWHERE.

Things I learned:

• LENA (14A: Video game composer Raine) LENA Raine is a composer and producer. She has written original music for many video games, including Minecraft, Celeste, and Guild Wars 2. LENA Raine won an American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Award in 2019 for Video Game Score of the Year for Celeste. Here's an interview with LENA Raine if you'd like to learn more about her. 
• THREE (42A: Number of members of SWV) SWV (Sisters With Voices) is an R&B trio composed of Cheryl "Coko" Gamble, Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George, and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons. The group originally formed in 1988. In 1998, the THREE disbanded to pursue solo projects, but then reunited in 2005. 
• THE (33A: "We ___ Animals" (Justin Torres novel)) Justin Torres's debut novel, We THE Animals, was released in 2011. The semi-autobiographical book tells the story of three brothers - their father is Puerto Rican and their mother is white - growing up in Brooklyn. "Life in this home is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another." (That description is from Justin Torres's website.) The novel was adapted into a 2018 movie of the same name.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ANITA (16A: "Sweet Love" singer Baker) "Sweet Love" is a 1986 song by ANITA Baker, off of her album, Rapture. The song, co-written by ANITA Baker, Gary Bias, and Louis A. Johnson, won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
• TAROT (26A: Deck used for cartomancy) Cartomancy is fortune-telling using a deck of cards. A TAROT deck, which traditionally contains 78 cards, is the most commonly used deck for cartomancy.
• BOW (28A: Curtain call action) This was a fun answer for me to see today, because my husband and I just got home last night from a trip to New York City, where, among other things, we saw several Broadway shows (and therefore many BOWs). I have a funny story to share that is a great example of the joy of live theater. One of the shows we saw was The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. It was amazing! However, during the final number, Hugh Jackman's shoe broke - the heel fell off. He picked the heel up off the stage and showed it to Sutton Foster, and the two of them got tickled and kept chuckling about it throughout the number. I imagine it's difficult to dance with a busted shoe, and at one point Hugh Jackman simply laid down on the front of the stage and watched the rest of the cast dance. As you can imagine, during the curtain call when he took a BOW, Hugh Jackman received a standing ovation (as did Sutton Foster and the entire cast).
• OLE (41A: Estadio Azteca cheer) Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the home of the football (aka soccer) club, Club América. 
• AOC (53A: NY congresswoman's initials) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) represents New York's 14th congressional district (which includes portions of the Bronx, Queens, and Riders Island in New York City) in the U.S. House of Representatives. AOC was 29 years old when she took office, making her the youngest woman to serve in the U.S. Congress.
• WE ARE EVERYWHERE (54A: Queer visibility slogan that's the title of a 2019 visual history book) Matthew L. Riemer and Leighton Brown are the creators of the Instagram account lgbt_history, which features a fabulous collection of images. They are also the authors of the book WE ARE EVERYWHERE: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation. 
• PRIDE (63A: With 44-Down, event with rainbow flags) and PARADE (44D: See 63-Across) This is a great pair of answers, and it was especially nice to see PARADE crossing WE ARE EVERYWHERE. Since it's June, some people might say this is a great answer to see in a puzzle during PRIDE month, and it is...but, PRIDE PARADE is also a fabulous answer that I welcome in my puzzle any day of the year.
• YAO (21D: Basketball star Ming) YAO Ming is a former professional basketball player. He played for the Chinese Basketball Association's (CBA) Shanghai Sharks from 1997-2002, and for NBA's Houston Rockets from 2002-2011. YAO Ming is currently the president of the CBA. I knew this sports answer because I have learned about YAO Ming from previous crossword puzzles. 
• MEME (34D: Funny image macro, for example) "Image macro" is the term used to describe digital media that is composed of a picture with superimposed text. Many MEMEs are image macros.
• HORCHATA (40D: Drink made with rice and cinnamon) HORCHATA is a plant milk-based drink that may be made from rice, and can also be made from tiger nuts, barley or sesame seeds.

Geography review:

• ERIE (35D: One of the Great Lakes) If there's a Great Lake in your crossword puzzle, there's greater than a 20% chance it's Lake ERIE.

This puzzle is ALL OVER THE PLACE! Sorry, but it had to be said. What a fun theme. As soon as I uncovered "WISH YOU WERE HERE" (with its perfect clue), I knew where we were headed, and it was so enjoyable to uncover the subsequent theme answers. ANYHOW, the theme wasn't the only great thing about this puzzle. I especially enjoyed "random ACTS of kindness," POW, BABA ghanoush, and the interesting consecutive RASH (5A: Like a hasty decision) and LAPSE (9A: A ___ in judgment. This concludes my RAVE (56A: Glowing review) about this puzzle. Thank you, Enrique, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to begin my Tuesday.