In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White sits down with Anna Shechtman, author and renowned crossword creator, at the Brattleboro Literary Festival to discuss her book, The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle.

At age 15, Anna began crafting crossword puzzles while navigating the complexities of disordered eating—two practices tied by perfectionism, control, and language. Kurt and Anna explore the paradoxes of anorexia: the illusion of control amidst chaos, the pursuit of gratification without pleasure, and society’s celebration of self-discipline at the cost of self-destruction.

Anna reflects on how crossword construction became a “perfect substitution,” mirroring her fraught relationship with identity and body, offering a fragile sense of stability. Together, they examine the cultural and political forces shaping eating disorders, the competing ideals placed on women, and the tensions between feminist resistance and internalized misogyny.

Anna reminds us that recovery is hard work—but not as hard as living within an active disorder—and that healing begins with connection, both to others and to ourselves.

Links:
Anna's website: Anna Shechtman
The Riddles of the Sphinx: The Riddles of the Sphinx – HarperCollins
Brattleboro Literary Festival: https://brattleborolitfest.org/about/

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