[.puz][PDF][Solution] 😴😴😴
The first time I learned about Juneteenth was in grade school, but to be honest, I don’t think I gave the day more than passing consideration until 2016, when Donald Glover made it the focus of a scathingly satirical episode of Atlanta. You should watch.
In episodes where Lakeith Stanfield isn’t stealing the show, 17-Across in today’s puzzle often becomes a focal point of Atlanta for me. When I first learned her name, I knew I wanted to find a way to get her into a crossword puzzle theme.

*SPOILER ALERT* Okay, so what’s the deal with this puzzle. Puzzzle?
This sort of theme would normally be too straight-ahead for my tastes: theme answers that have 3 Z’s in them, with a ZZZ revealer. At least in this NYT puzzle from last year, all the XXX answers needed to have consecutive X’s…
But I got interested in the theme set when I realized that there really just aren’t very many valid crossword answers with three-and-only-three Z’s in them. Plenty of quad Z’s: BUZZFEED QUIZZES, RAZZLE DAZZLE, BUZZ BUZZARD, RAZZMATAZZ, PIZZAZZ…
And, to be honest, I was probably influenced by the potential of getting ZAZIE BEETZ in a puzzle. When I realized she could be paired with SWIZZ BEATZ, well, we were off to the racez.
Want to join a Zoom class
Great puzzle. Maybe a bit too many names, but no chance of any ZZZ while working on this one! Thanks.
I couldn’t help myself. Proper nouns can sometimes seem just so… proper!
Great puzzle! I’m looking forward to more from you!
Glad to have you, Maureen! New puzzle up on Sunday. The NYT Wednesday puzzle this week is also one of mine. Happy solving!