For many of us, a newspaper encounter is not complete until we've done the crossword puzzle.
And the New York Times crossword puzzle is one of the premier puzzles.
Tracy Bennett, an Ann Arbor-based puzzle constructor, has been getting her puzzles onto the pages of the New York Times.
Her most recent puzzle for the New York Times is a themeless puzzle. She says a themeless puzzle typically has fewer words and needs to meet a symmetry requirement.
Bennett says she started making puzzles by going to tournaments.
"I've been solving since I was 16. I guess when I was a very small child – 17 months old, I was into jigsaw puzzles. It just went on from there," says Bennett.
Bennett adds she spends about four hours a week in puzzle making, and it takes her about 4 weeks to make one puzzle.
* Listen to the full conversation with Tracy Bennett above.
