Lisa’s Puzzle Story: 

Lisa M. (she/her) lives in California, and wears many different hats within the southern California puzzling community. She is a co-founder of Orange County Speed Puzzlers, the founder of the South OC Puzzle Exchange Facebook group, and also participates in many speed puzzling competitions throughout the year.

She puzzled off and on with her mom while growing up, but her “serious” puzzling began in March of 2020 and by 2021 she started competing at Pacific Puzzlers events. She puzzles because it is her calming tool. For example, while working from home, she finds herself walking over to her puzzle table while on breaks, and her stress disappears. Of course, she loves when her beloved cat Ringo keeps her company while she puzzles!

Lisa will be attending the USAJPA Nationals Competition in March 2024, and will be co-hosting at least 6 competitions next year with Orange County Speed Puzzlers.

Q&A Time:

What do you enjoy most about the puzzle community? 

“I treasure the friendships I've made from puzzling. My best friend recently moved from California to Connecticut, and I was feeling pretty down and lonely. The more and more I got involved in puzzling stuff, the more new friends I made. And many have become very close friends who I share my life events with, beyond just puzzling.” 

What should first-time attendees to a puzzle swap expect?

“First and foremost, they should expect to have a lot of fun. My swaps average 30-40 people; so there are a lot of opportunities for socializing and meeting new people. For my swaps, I try to come up with new ideas to attract people because the more people that come, the more puzzles there will be. They can additionally expect to leave with more puzzles than they arrived with! Other features of my swaps include a puzzle donation tarp, raffles, cookie exchanges, and lunch meetups after the swap. In January I will be holding Orange County’s first “wooden puzzles only” swap!  I look forward to the swaps every month because it's my time to hang out with good friends and to get great puzzles.”

What is the puzzle community like in your area? 

“The puzzle community is super active in Southern California and Orange County in particular. There are almost 10 different Facebook groups for puzzling, trading, and selling. There are in-person puzzle swaps going on all of the time. There are speed puzzling competitions, puzzling together events, and just people getting together to puzzle and have fun. The puzzle community in my area is alive and vibrant!”

Are you active in the puzzle community?

“During Covid I started the South OC Puzzle Exchange Facebook Group for people to trade puzzles in South Orange County when you couldn't find them in stores. I then started having in-person puzzle swaps at local parks and empty lots. I now hold the swaps monthly, and membership in my group has grown to include puzzlers from San Diego up to the Santa Clarita Valley. My swaps attract anywhere from 30-60 puzzlers at a time! I also co-founded a speed puzzling group with fellow USAJPA member William S. called Orange County Speed Puzzlers, which attracts competitors from Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange County, and San Diego. We hold competitions every other month. You might have seen the viral video in November that showed the start of one of our competitions. It's all been very exciting in the local puzzling world.”

Connect:

Lisa can be found through Instagram: @lisa_does_puzzles

Orange County Speed Puzzlers can be found on Instagram: @orange_county_speed_puzzlers

South OC Puzzle Exchange can be found in Facebook Groups