Projects & Media
No Holds Barred Crosswords
You can now purchase the PDF versions of the original NHBC book and the new Bonus Brawlers book!
Each set includes both a PDF of the book, _plus_ a packet of the same puzzles in the new .IPUZ format, which can be used to solve online with programs like Puzzazz and Squares.io.
ALL ORDERS VIA PAYPAL (Use any of the links to send an order by e-mail, and I'll send you the PayPal link. Once payment is confirmed, I can e-mail the file directly to you.)
NO HOLDS BARRED CROSSWORDS (PDF and IPUZ): $15.00
NHBC BONUS BRAWLERS (PDF and IPUZ): $15.00
Or order both sets together for $25.00!
I created a Kickstarter-backed book of 25 crosswords in 2013, originally available either in print or as a PDF. 15x15 barred themeless crosswords that maintain the rules of standard crosswords. They are wide open and push the boundaries of what a crossword can do. (Yes, I also wrote a puzzle that consisted of 15 15-letter answers reading across, which I'm sure shattered some sort of record for most 15-letter entries in a grid.) The content of the book hearkened back to wrestling and 8-bit video games.
The original Kickstarter page.
As a stretch goal, I offered a set of bonus puzzles (the "Bonus Brawlers"), a set of 10 larger grids ranging from 16x16 up to 29x29. Certain backers were eligible to receive these bonus puzzles when they were ready. Due to issues, it took a while, but the Bonus Brawlers were finally made available in 2021 and have been sent to the original backers.
Podcasts/Video
Fill Me In
A podcast about crossword solvers and constructors, hosted by Ryan Hecht and Brian Cimmet (who also run the annual crossword competition Lollapuzzoola).
Main Site
My Episode: January 26, 2009 (#039)
Complete the List
The trivia game show podcast involving lists of items, hosted by quizzer and "The Jeopardy! Fan" site runner Andy Saunders.
Main Site
My Episode: E62: "Once Again, RuPaul Messed Me Up" (released May 17, 2018)
Recreational Thinking
A trivia game show podcast with tough questions about chosen topics, hosted by trivia quizmaster Yogesh Raut.
Main Site
My Episode: Episode 5: "It's Definitely Not the Human Centipede" (released Dec. 25, 2019)
Lateral
The lateral thinking quiz podcast with tough questions about chosen topics, hosted by YouTube streamer Tom Scott. They used one of my questions as a listener-submitted question at the beginning of the show.
Main Site
My Episode: Episode 20: "The rigged JFK election" (released Feb. 24, 2023)
The Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show
A long-running pop culture trivia quiz podcast spawned from the Extra Hot Great podcast, hosted by Taylor Cole. Let's see how I do, playing as Matt "Dictionary Corner" Jones!
My Episode: S09.E06: "You Can't Keep a Good Renaissance Man Down"(released July 10, 2023)
OPB's Think Out Loud
Oregon Public Broadcasting's very own live afternoon public affairs interview show Think Out Loud, hosted by Dave Miller. (Fun fact--I had literally landed in Portland the hour before, after being stranded for about a 12 hour delay in Washington DC.)
My Episode: September 12, 2023
Verboten
Jay Borsom's game show podcast through the PTE network! It's a bit of Password, a bit of memory recall, and a lot of fun.
My Episode: S01.E13: "We Apologize to the Estate of James Brown"(released February 13, 2024)
MattJPuzzleGuy YouTube channel
Various video appearances of Matt Jones (under the playlist "Stuff I've Been In", from the Connections Online Quiz League to Stuart Goldsmith's "The Infinite Sofa."
Also, check out this local news interview from 1996!
Back up and running! Go check it out! I play puzzle games online sporadically.
Weakest Link
I was a contestant on the original US prime-time version of Weakest Link (the one with Anne Robinson). We taped in late September 2001, set to air on NBC a bit later in the year. As many of the shows that aired eventually turned toward celebrity charity specials, our episode got shelved and never aired on NBC. Sometime in 2003-2004, Game Show Network picked up the rights to air it, so I eventually got to see it. (I had a copy up on YouTube but it got taken down.)
Puzzle and Crossword Downloads
Media Mentions
The alumni magazine of Willamette University (Salem, OR) features a crossword of mine in their Spring 2024 issue.
A full puzzle extravaganza of 12 puzzles based on Thanksgiving dishes. Includes an intro and set of "labels" to go with the puzzles. There is a meta and eventual meta-meta. (Sorry, I never got to create an answer sheet.) [PDF]
Thankoween Mini-Ganzas
A mini-set of puzzles with a meta puzzle at the end. Halloween horror movies/TV shows mashed up with Thanksgiving food puns. [PDF]
Crosswords
The World's Most Ornery Crossword (PDF, Sept 1999)
Open Spaces Sampler (ZIP of .puz files; 4 21x21 Sunday-size puzzles from 2006-2007 previously published in Open Spaces magazine, one themeless)
Cascadia Daily News (January 5, 2024)
Far from clue-less, CDN crossword creator Matt Jones has made his mark
An article on my work in their Living section, with some comments from Will Shortz as well.
Gridlock: Crossword Puzzles and the Mad Geniuses Who Create Them
2006 book by Matt Gaffney, detailing the ins and outs of the puzzle biz (and crossword constructors). He's my former editor/publisher of Jonesin' Crosswords, and Chapter 5 ("Jonesin'") is dedicated to the history of Jonesin' and indie puzzling in general.
The Curious History of the Crossword
Created for the 100th anniversary of the American crossword puzzle, it's a 2013 book by Ben Tausig that's part detailed history, part compendium of the best and most notable crosswords reprinted from 1913-2013. I get mentioned in Chapter Six ("Indie Puzzles"). Reprints of 2 of my puzzles from Jonesin', 1 from The Onion AV Club appear throughout the book.
Crosswords at a Crossroad
2013 published paper by Lynn J Feigenbaum. Briefly mentions Jonesin' in the history of puzzles (compared to the New York Times content).