Zhouqin Burnikel

Zhouqin Burnikel grew up in Xi an, China. She worked in Guangzhou for six years before moving to the U.S. in 2001. She became a U.S. citizen in June 2010, the same year she began constructing crosswords, partly as a way to learn English. Since then, she has written and co-written many puzzles, including 73 for the New York Times.