About Me
Hi there! My name is Quiara and this is my website. That's me on the right over there - ain't I a looker?
To answer your first question: it's pronounced "key-AH-ra VASS-kezz" - those "Qu"s are pronounced like Ks. I'm just shy of 30 years old, and I was born and raised in Brooklyn. I was a double-major at the City University of New York, where I studied television production and - don't laugh - philosophy of art. I did that while working on the side as a local print journalist, a decision that proved even more financially ruinous than the philosophy degree.
These days I make and edit crossword puzzles. Most notably I edit the daily puzzle for the news site Slate, but I'm also an editor at AVCX (so named as it's the former Onion/A.V. Club Crossword), the subscription service. Before I worked at either of those sites I ran a popularish puzzle blog called QVXwordz. You can read more about my work as a constructor elsewhere on this site. Most of the content you'll find here is on about puzzles - how to solve, write, and publish them, and punditry on the other hand.
In terms of other hobbies, I'm a fairly talented artist - or so I would like to think! In particular I've been making pixel art for 15+ years, and I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. You can judge for yourself by checking out my profiles on CSDb and PixelJoint. I can kind of play the guitar and accordion (although I don't, to the relief of the people in the neighboring apartment).
Talk to Me
You can send me an e-mail at the address listed at 17-Across here. (Spambots can't solve crosswords... yet.)