A new type of daily puzzle is on the way.
iHeartMedia and author AJ Jacobs have announced a joint daily puzzle podcast, the puzzle, releasing this fall. It received an initial order for 260 episodes.
Daily short-form podcasts will challenge listeners and celebrity guests with original, audio-friendly brain teasers complete with a wacky story, fun trivia, and lots of laughs.
Celebrity guests will perform along with other puzzle fans who will put their skills to the test in real time with Jacobs, before challenging listeners to solve the puzzles for themselves.
the puzzle was inspired by Jacobs’ most recent book, The Puzzler: One man’s quest to solve history’s most perplexing puzzles, from crossword puzzles to brain teasers to the meaning of lifethat explores the enduring power of puzzles: why people love them, what they do to people’s brains, and how they can improve the world.
“I really believe that puzzles and games bring us together,” Jacobs said. “There is a great community of puzzle lovers and I am excited to entertain and puzzle them every day through audio.”
The author, who considers himself a “human guinea pig”, is also known for his books The Year of Living Biblically and The know-it-all. Their stories have been featured at The Moth, a wide range of theme-based storytelling events in the US and abroad, often featuring prominent literary and cultural personalities.
Jacobs will be regularly joined on the show by “puzzle chief” Greg Pliska, a longtime puzzle creator whose work has appeared in the New York Times‘ “Puzzle Mania”, a special annual puzzle section in the print edition of the Sunday newspaper. Includes sudoku, a cryptic crossword puzzle, word games, visual puzzles, and more.
the puzzle is produced by Neuhaus Ideas and will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts.
July 9, 5:35 p.m. PST Updated headline and story to clarify that the partnership is between iHeartMedia and AJ Jacobs.
