January 19, 2023

Title: TOUCH UPS

Constructors: Emet Ozar & Brooke Husic

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

STONE BUTCH BLUES (6D: Leslie Feinberg novel written as a call to action for trans liberation)

SCREEN READERS (9D: Apps for blind and visually impaired people)

DOWN TO THE WIRE (17D: Not decided until the last moment)

Theme synopsis: The top word of each vertical theme answer can follow the word TOUCH, giving us TOUCHSTONE, TOUCHSCREEN, and TOUCHDOWN.

And now a word from our constructors:

Here are some answers and clues that spoke to us!

Emet: STONE BUTCH BLUES - I was really influenced by the seminal work by Leslie Feinberg, and had the book on my word list for awhile. Super grateful to Brooke for inspiring me to use it, and for figuring out a how to get it to work in a puzzle. Stoked to see it out in the world!
BROWN [toasted marshmallow color]- Brings up lovely thoughts of sitting around a fire enjoying s’mores
TACO STANDS - I love food in puzzles and tacos are at the top of my favorite food list, so always happy for the word to make an appearance. Also FWIW TACOSTANDS can also be holders (see pic)

Brooke: TIKTOK DUET - It was fun to put this in a puzzle that is also a collaboration! I loved working with Emet; this awesome 72-word grid design is all theirs!
WOAH - I am an advocate of this spelling. I will not be taking questions.

Things I learned:

• PEETE (57A: "My Brother Charlie" author Holly Robinson ___) Holly Robinson PEETE is an actress with numerous film and TV credits, including the role of Judy Hoffs on 21 Jump Street. She and her family starred in two reality TV series, For PEETE's Sake (2016-2017) and Meet the PEETEs (2018-2019). My Brother Charlie is a children's book cowritten by Holly Robinson PEETE and her daughter, Ryan Elizabeth PEETE. The book is written from the viewpoint of a girl whose brother has autism, and was inspired by Holly Robinson PEETE's son, Ryan's twin, Rodney. My Brother Charlie won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in 2012.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• JESSE (4A: Track star Owens with four Olympic gold medals) JESSE Owens (1913-1980) won those four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. Two years ago I wrote about the oak saplings JESSE Owens brought home from the Olympics. The year before the Olympics, at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, JESSE Owens set four world records within 45 minutes, a feat that has been called the "Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports."
• WE ARE (23A: "___ the Champions" (Queen song)) "WE ARE the Champions" was released in 1977. It was written by Freddie Mercury, and was included on Queen's album, News of the World. Several years ago, scientists at Goldsmiths University set out to discover what makes a song memorable. According to their research, "WE ARE the Champions" is the catchiest song ever, followed by "YMCA" by the Village People.
• TIKTOK DUET (29A: Side-by-side collaboration on social media) The DUET feature on TIKTOK (as I understand it) allows a user to pull up a previously recorded video and record themselves alongside it.
• NEWT (48A: Small amphibian) A NEWT is a type of salamander. NEWTs are amphibious, spending part of their time on land, and part of their time in the water. Because of their thin, sensitive skin, which is sensitive to subtle changes in pH, NEWTs serve as bioindicators. Their presence or absence can indicate the health of an environment.
• DEMISEXUAL (52A: Identity on the ace spectrum) A DEMISEXUAL person only feels sexual attraction towards another person after establishing an emotional bond. We saw DEMISEXUAL as a theme answer a year ago.
• STONE BUTCH BLUES (6D: Leslie Feinberg novel written as a call to action for trans liberation) STONE BUTCH BLUES, by Leslie Feinberg, is a historical fiction novel about life as a BUTCH lesbian in 1970s America, as told through the story of protagonist Jess Goldberg. About STONE BUTCH BLUES, Leslie Feinberg wrote, "[With] this novel I planted a flag: Here I am - does anyone else want to discuss these important issues? I wrote it, not as an expression of individual 'high' art, but as a working-class organizer mimeographs a leaflet - a call to action..." STONE BUTCH BLUES was originally published in 1993, with a 20th anniversary addition released in 2014 shortly after Feinberg's death at the age of 65. A free PDF of the book is available on Leslie Feinberg's website. I learned about STONE BUTCH BLUES from the June 10, 2021 puzzle when it was used to clue the word STONE. Nice to see the complete title make an appearance today.
• WOAH (3D: "Mind. Blown.") As I have written previously, I have accepted that WOAH is a widely used spelling of "whoa." 
• EGG (12D: Monistat insert shape) EGG-shaped Monistat inserts are used in the treatment of yeast infections.
• INTO (50D: "___ the Unknown" ("Frozen 2" song)) In case you now have "WE ARE the Champions" or "YMCA" going through your head, here's another option for today's earworm: "Into the Unknown" sung by Idina Menzel and Aurora.

Geography review:

• FINNS (25A: People from Helsinki) Helsinki is the capital and most populous city of Finland, making its residents FINNS. In 2021, Time magazine included Helsinki on its list of "World's Greatest Places."
• ENID (37A: Town north of Oklahoma City) ENID, Oklahoma is about 100 miles north of Oklahoma City. The town is named for a character in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poems, Idylls of the King.
• RENO (21D: City near Lake Tahoe) RENO, Nevada is located along the Nevada-California border,  about 22 miles north of Lake Tahoe. Yesterday we saw Tahoe used to clue the word LAKE. 

I enjoyed all three theme answers in today's puzzle ... no TOUCH UPS needed. I also like SHOESTRING, JUST ASK, ALL FOR IT, and TACO STANDS. (Did you check out the photo linked in Emet's note? Now I want dinosaur TACO STANDS!) Thank you, Emet and Brooke, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to start my Thursday.