BY PATTY MINTZ

NovaNewsNow.com

Computers have made the challenge of creating crossword puzzles easier, but as Calvin Coish points out, “the real work still has to be done by the person sitting at the computer who must come up with a clue for each word in the puzzle.”

Coish, a retired school teacher and councillor who lives in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, is the author of Atlantic Canadian Crosswords, released last month by Nimbus Publishing. He says the book is designed for those who want fun from a crossword, not anxiety.

“Quite frankly, I find puzzles like those in the New York Times rather frustrating. For that reason, I made a real effort to prepare puzzles that would not be too overwhelming for most people.”

The 50 all-new crosswords the book contains are not without challenge. Many of the clues test one’s knowledge of the history, culture, geography and other aspects of the Atlantic Provinces.

In his introduction, Coish says, “I tried to give the puzzles as much Atlantic Canadian flavour as possible by offering a healthy serving of items from each of the four eastern provinces. In the process, I created a bank of several hundred puzzles before selecting the final 50 that make up this volume.”

Clues run the gamut from culture to language, geography to history, politics to sports. The crosswords are designed to be solvable for the average person, but some clues are more challenging than others (hint: a map comes in handy).

“The clues were generated as a result of many years of reading and writing and following politics, culture and history of Atlantic Canada,” says Coish. The fact he has compiled, edited and published half a dozen volumes of quizzes has also been helpful.

Coish says his interest in knowledge and quizzes goes back many years when he began to research material for the publication Canada Quiz.

“At around that time I was asked to host a quiz competition as part of the Grand Falls-Windsor Canada Day celebrations. The response was so enthusiastic that I knew I must be onto something.”

Coish, a grandfather of fraternal twins, says branching out into crosswords was the idea of Dan Soucoup of Nimbus, who invited him to prepare a volume of crosswords related to the region. “I was happy to accept the challenge.”

Growing up on Fogo Island, says the author, gave him a taste for fresh, salty air.

“Over the years, I’ve explored many coves and corners of the Atlantic Provinces, from Peggy’s Cove to Paquet, from Montague to Moncton.”

Atlantic Canadian Crosswords sells for $12.95 and is available at most bookstores in the region.