A monthly contest crossword of LITERARY proportions!
Come back on the first of every month for a new literature-inspired crossword
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July 2026 Monthly Contest SOLUTION
Title: “State of Communication”Prompt: The meta answer is a novel published in the 1980s whose title would make a good sixth theme answer.Answer: THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE (by John Irving) Explanation: each of the five longest across entries contains, in some order, the name of a US state and a letter in the NATO phonetic…
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July 2026 Monthly Contest: “State of Communication”
Somehow, 2026 is half over. Starting off the second half of the year, we have “State of Communication” by Emma Oxford for your meta-solving enjoyment. The meta answer is a novel published in the 1980s whose title would make a good sixth theme answer. To submit to the contest, send an email with your answer…
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June 2026 Monthly Contest SOLUTION
Title: “The Art of Writing” Prompt: The meta answer is a novel.Answer: THE GOLDFINCH (by Donna Tartt) Explanation: the five longest across entries, although not clued this way, are all names of famous paintings. The name of the artist of each painting appears in a clue elsewhere in the puzzle, like so: THELASTSUPPER -> 21D…
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June 2026 Monthly Contest: “The Art of Writing”
Month six of 2026 and ACL is continuing its streak of guest constructors! This month’s contest puzzle is “The Art of Writing” by Lee Taylor. The meta answer is a novel. Lee has had more time to focus on crossword construction since retiring from the National Park Service and is just getting into the exciting…
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May 2026 Monthly Contest SOLUTION
Title: “Double or Nothing” Prompt: The meta answer is a popular children’s book series. Answer: FROG AND TOAD Explanation: four of the eight longest across answers have a pair of double letters in them. The double letters spell FROG. The other four of the eight longest across answers have clues that include a synonym for…
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May 2026 Monthly Contest: “Double or Nothing”
Straight to the puzzle this month! This month’s contest puzzle is “Double or Nothing” by Faren Roth. The meta answer is a popular children’s book series. Faren is soon-to-be PhD student, and “Double or Nothing” is her first puzzle published by ACL. You can find her full bio over on our Team Ariadne page. To…
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April 2026 Monthly Contest SOLUTION
Title: “No One Can Divide Them” Prompt: The meta answer is a novel. Answer: WUTHERING HEIGHTS Explanation: The clue for 32A PRIMES is phrased in a suggestive way, given the puzzle title: [You can’t divide them (except by one and themselves)]. Looking for prime numbers leads to the numbered squares in the grid, and taking…
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April 2026 Monthly Contest: “No One Can Divide Them”
Happy Janua–Aug–April?? It’s April?? Ok, if you say so. Onto the puzzle! This month’s contest puzzle is “No One Can Divide Them” by Heather Gearan. The meta answer is a novel. You can find Heather’s bio over on our Team Ariadne page, and she also constructed ACL’s November 2025 puzzle. To submit to the contest,…
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March 2026 Monthly Contest SOLUTION
Title: Use Your Inside Voice Prompt: The meta answer is a well-known children’s novel. Answer: THE SECRET GARDEN Explanation: something strange is going on with four long across entries. To make the letters work with the crossing downs, the words ROSE (in MICROSECONDS), RAIN (in EXTRAINNINGS), ZEN (in JAZZENSEMBLE), and HERB (in BUTCHERBLOCK) have to…
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March 2026 Monthly Contest: “Use Your Inside Voice”
We are back with TWO new guest constructors this month! March’s puzzle is “Use Your Inside Voice” by Carina da Rosa and Shannon Rapp. The meta answer is a well-known children’s novel. Carina is a Lil AVCX alum and has had crosswords appear in several daily outlets as well as in the Boswords 2025 Fall…
Ariadne's Crossword Library 