March 7, 2023

Title: FIRST LIGHT / SUN UP

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers:

FIRST LIGHT:

BEER GARDEN (18A: Brewpub's outdoor seating area)

SHOWSTOPPER (38A: Impressive performance that gets massive applause)

HOUSE WINES (59A: Inexpensive reds and whites at a restaurant)

SUN UP:

BEAR CRAWLS (2D: Workouts performed on hands and toes)

GODDESS POSE (5D: Asana with a divine name)

DRIED MANGO (29D: Chewy orange snack)

Theme synopsis: Two themes today! The FIRST word of each across theme answer can follow the word LIGHT, giving us LIGHT BEER, LIGHT SHOW, and LIGHTHOUSE. The first (UP) word of each down theme answer can follow the word SUN, to give us SUN BEAR, SUN GODDESS, and SUN-DRIED.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: i'm ecstatic this puzzle is running today! paolo not only introduced me to the "two-intersecting-themes" paradigm but also was magnanimous enough to extend a collaboration invite to me when he achieved it back in my first year of constructing. i'm happy to have have another instance on the books today -- in this one, my goal was to have the two themes relate to each other, and i kind of can't believe past me pulled it off! TOP DOG in the grid is certainly a shout-out/homage to the aforementioned paolo collab, without which i never would've thought to do something like this. aside from that, my favorite answers are SHOWSTOPPER and GODDESS POSE, and my favorite clues are for THREE and NOISES.

Things I learned:

• LEE (23A: "Celia's Song" writer Maracle) LEE Maracle (1950-2021) was the author of a number of fiction and non-fiction books, as well as collections of poetry. She was a member of Stó:lō nation in Canada. LEE Maracle began publishing books in the early 1970s, at a time when few Indigenous authors were published (especially women). She was active in fighting Indigenous oppression in Canada. Celia's Song is LEE Maracle's 2014 book which addresses colonization, the importance of bearing witness to the past, and a community's ability to heal.
• I AM (40A: "___ the one who knocks") Although the answer to this clue was inferable, I didn't know the source of this quote until I looked it up. "I AM the one who knocks," is a line spoken by Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) in the fourth season of the TV series, Breaking Bad. You can read an in-depth analysis of the scene containing this line in this article. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EDM (16A: Clubby music) EDM = electronic dance music
• RAIDS (26A: Occasions when Twitch viewers "invade" another stream) Twitch is a video streaming service. Twitch's focus is on video game live streaming, but the service is also used by a number of crossword solvers who live stream their solves. Twitch is also the platform used by Boswords for their online crossword tournaments. Let me digress for a moment and encourage you to sign up for the Boswords spring themeless league, featuring a new puzzle every Monday in March and April. Although the league technically began last night, there's still time to sign up, as you have until Sunday to solve the first puzzle. My husband and I are once again competing (using the term loosely, as we're really just in it for the fun!) in the Smooth (easiest) division. Back to Twitch... RAIDS are a popular feature of Twitch, characterized by users of a specific Twitch channel being sent to join a different channel to offer support and encouragement.
• GRAM (52A: Ending for "kilo" or "candy") I would not object to someone sending me a candyGRAM with a kiloGRAM of chocolate.
• SON (67A: The god Maui, to 'Akalana) In Hawaiian mythology, Māui is the SON of 'Akalana and Hina-a-ke-ahi. Māui is a demigod whose storied exploits include stealing fire from the underworld for humans, and fishing up islands with a magical hook. 
• THREE (1D: Big ___ placements (sun, moon and rising signs)) In astrology, "big THREE" is shorthand for sun, moon, and rising (aka ascendant) signs. Big THREE placements refer to the location of the sun, moon, and rising signs at the exact time you were born. Astrology uses this information to offer insight into your personality. 
• BEAR CRAWLS (2D: Workouts performed on hands and toes) BEAR CRAWLS engage many muscles, including deltoids (shoulder), glutes (rear), quadriceps and hamstrings (legs).
• GODDESS POSE (5D: Asana with a divine name) GODDESS POSE is a standing yoga pose. There is also a reclined GODDESS POSE. Reclined GODDESS POSE is my all-time favorite yoga POSE; I find it extremely relaxing while it also amuses me to imagine myself as a reclined GODDESS. 
• TWO (45D: Number of B's in this clue) This self-referential clue made me smile.
• RIGHTS (46D: Trans ___ are human ___) Highlighting this because it deserves to be repeated until it's universally acknowledged: Trans RIGHTS are human RIGHTS.
• DST (57A: "Spring forward" letters) This is a timely reminder that Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins this Sunday morning (Saturday night), so remember to turn your clocks forward an hour. Isn't it nice that many of our clocks do that automatically. (I am not a fan of twice-yearly time changes, so I'm going to stop talking about this topic before I get grumpy...)

Geography review:

• IRELAND (55A: Country with a harp on its coat of arms) The harp is the national instrument of IRELAND. In addition to appearing on the coat of arms, the harp is also featured on Irish euro coins. I have previously written about the history of harp symbolism in IRELAND. 
• SAO (7D: ___ Paulo) SÃO Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil. It is also the capital of the Brazilian state that shares its name.

I always enjoy a double theme; it feels like you're getting value-added content in your crossword. This puzzle has diagonal symmetry. It's symmetrical along a diagonal axis running from the top left corner of the puzzle to the bottom right corner. This means that to make the double theme work, each of the theme answers intersects with one or two other theme answers. It's impressive to be able to pull this off smoothly. I enjoyed both themes today, and it's a nice touch that the themes of FIRST LIGHT and SUN UP relate to each other. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.