Groundbreaking new book based on the popular site blackcrossword.com featuring over 100 original puzzles inspired by the Diaspora and covering history, popular culture, trailblazers, literature, and politics.  

“Crosswords, and puzzles in general, are good in times of stress,” Will Shortz, the puzzle editor of The New York Times, has said, and during the pandemic sales of crossword puzzles and participants in online games such as Wordle, skyrocketed. Frustrated by the dearth of Black people creating puzzles or appearing as clues, entrepreneur Juliana Pache created blackcrossword.com in early 2023. The site at once took off counting such regular players and fans as Academy Award winner Questlove, popular social activist Brittney Packet Cunningham, and author and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib.

Now, to expand her platform, Pache is looking to bring her cultural crossword puzzles to book publishing. Like her site, the concept for the first BLACK CROSSWORD is a game that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the diaspora. By highlighting prominent cultural figures, movements, artistic achievements, and Black vernacular from across the globe, BLACK CROSSWORD on the page will serve as a simple yet impactful way for solvers to engage in the diaspora and celebrate Black culture.

In a crossword landscape that is predominantly white, BLACK CROSSWORD will provide puzzles to an underserved and passionate market. While the puzzles are meant to increase Black representation in crosswords, they also underscore the fact that this historically underserved market — Black solvers who would like puzzles that are culturally relevant to them—has the potential to become both a commercial hit and resonate with multiple generations of readers. BLACK CROSSWORD has the potential to become a series of books, including a general edition, a calendar edition, a pop culture edition across the diaspora, a Black History edition, and a trailblazer edition. While in a trade paperback format, BLACK CROSSWORD could have an elevated look/tone that would be a perfect gift or keepsake – the possibilities are endless.

The My Hair, My Crown Wooden Tray Puzzle by Mudpuppy pairs perfectly with the My Hair, My Crown board book which features the same artwork by Tabitha Brown. With 6-8 chunky wooden pieces that slot into a sturdy plywood tray this makes for a fantastic first puzzle or a great 1st birthday gift. This Wooden Tray Puzzle is a celebration of Tabitha's charming portraits which showcase a variety of Black hairstyles together with other joyful imagery.
-8 chunky wooden pieces + wooden tray
-Corrugated package wrap:
-11.75 x 8.75 x 1", 30 x 20 x 2.5 cm
-Ages 1+

A stunning full-color Harlem-themed 1,000-piece puzzle from beloved interior designer Sheila Bridges.

Sheila Bridges is a world-renowned interior designer, recognized for her classic yet versatile design aesthetic and critical eye. She is sought after to create thoughtfully inspired and narrative rich interiors because of her profound sensitivity and appreciation of timeless design and quality craftsmanship. Her Harlem Puzzle is a beautiful ode to Harlem, New York, known around the globe its rich cultural heritage and significant contributions of talented African American writers, painters, poets, musicians, activists and artists.

Featuring:

• 1,000 full-color interlocking pieces
• Art print with puzzle image
• Finished puzzle is 18 7/8" x 26 3/8"

The Basquiat Horn Players 500 Piece Book Puzzle features the artist’s iconic Horn Players artwork, an homage to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Parker’s Ornithology (recorded in 1945), and referenced in the middle section of this triptych. Basquiat was a musician, a jazz fan, and often painted with jazz playing in the studio. This book shaped keepsake box has a magnetic closure and looks great on the bookshelf or coffee table.

•    Box: 6.5 x 8.25 x 2”, 165 x 210 x 50 mm
•    Puzzle Size: 14 x 18.5”, 356 x 470 mm
•    Keepsake box with magnetic closure with printed interior box liner
•    Includes color puzzle insert with full puzzle image
•    Puzzle greyboard contains 90% recycled paper. Packaging contains 70% recycled paper and is made responsibly from FSC-certified material. Printed with nontoxic soy-based inks.