Millions of people log onto The New York Times daily to complete their daily word games. Crossword puzzles from major news companies are created for mainstream society’s morning routines. Yet, who decides who is a part of mainstream media? How can a crossword puzzle reflect numerous cultural identities to improve the enjoyment of all its players?
Juliana Pache, KLN ‘14, launched her daily mini-crossword site, Black Crossword in January 2023, created and entirely run by her. The clues are all related to Black culture, identities and movements. Only six months after her site went live, Pache received a two-book deal for her puzzles that August.
Pache had the idea for Black Crossword in the fall of 2022. She was playing The New York Times's mini crossword puzzle and noticed it was skewed to a white demographic. She searched everywhere for a puzzle that matched the breadth of her knowledge and experiences but could not find one.
“I decided to just make it,” said Pache.
Pache had never created a crossword puzzle before, but that did not hold her back from trying. She explained that she’s always had to be creative and scrappy.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just figure it out’,” explained Pache. “I’ve had to figure out so many different things in life already.”
Pache also said that she used many of the skills she learned from Klein College of Media and Communication, along with the publications she’s worked for, like Rolling Stone and VICE.
Working in journalism and social media, she explains that these platforms change all the time, and this gave her the tools to be successful with Black Crossword.
“I had to get comfortable with unlearning and relearning things constantly,” Pache explains.
To make her puzzle, Pache keeps a word bank at hand with different names, phrases and movements that relate to the Black diaspora. She updates this list constantly and says she gets inspiration from everywhere.
“Black culture is everywhere,” Pache said. “It’s in the conversations I have with my friends, it’s in the TV shows we watch.”
Pache was elated when she found out she was getting a two-book deal for her puzzles. She explains that the Black Crossword website, though a labor of love, was not sustainable enough for her. However, this book deal gave her the opportunity to work on this project long-term. The book deal gave her a sense of freedom to continue her passion.
“Holding the book in my hand, I definitely felt relief,” said Pache.
Being a Klein College alum, Pache encourages current students to use all of the resources at their disposal—utilizing libraries on and off campus and continuing to feed their curiosity.
“Surround yourself with knowledge,” Pache said. “Especially in this time period, your focus is on learning.”
Pache currently has a few creative projects in the works. One is a game show that she’s currently in the pre-production stages of. She wants to continue moving and growing and has big things in store.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Pache.