Have you ever wanted to construct your own crossword puzzle? Or just been curious about what goes on inside and outside those boxes?

Ashland.News’ crossword editor Steve Weyer will introduce the process and techniques of crossword construction from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland. The event is open to the public.

This second presentation of a two-part series will cover conventions, software tools, theme entries, grid layout, fill words, clues, and publication/sharing. After demoing how easy it is to generate a free-form word puzzle, Weyer will shift focus to the more interesting world of U.S. newspaper-style, symmetric crosswords.

Weyer has been a cruciverbalist (“crossword aficionado”) since the 1990s. Besides solving crosswords, he teaches crossword courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and constructs crosswords for local organizations and submits to national publications. His first New York Times crossword puzzle is scheduled to debut in 2023.

Ashland.News plans to introduce crosswords with locally inspired themes, answers and clues this Fall. Stay tuned!