Strategy. Precision. Obsession. For SCRABBLE enthusiasts, playing can evoke these words, and not just to score points. Since its birth in the 1930s, the tiny tiles have helped shaped the way we view language, and even raised questions about ethnic slurs and “dirty words.”
In his memoir, “Word Nerd," former executive director of the National SCRABBLE Association, John D. Williams Jr., writes about what it was like to experience the game’s role in Hollywood, the digital age, and stories from what he describes as the “Geek Underground.” He was also the national spokesman for SCRABBLE and mediated between the brand and countless devoted players.
What are your thoughts on the SCRABBLE obsession? What cultural impact do you think SCRABBLE has had on language?
Guest:
John D. Williams Jr., author of “Word Nerd: Dispatches from the Games, Grammar, and Geek Underground” (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2015) and former executive director of the National SCRABBLE Association