People gather around a crossword puzzle at a gala table with scattered Scrabble tiles at Word Play. — Credit: Michael Schuhmann

What if, by working on a crossword puzzle, you could help people who are literally at a loss for words? At the fourth annual Word Play on July 1, you can do just that.

The Best of the Bay-winning gala benefits Voices of Hope for Aphasia, whose programs support people with language disorders due to stroke or brain trauma.

The event includes dinner, live and silent auctions, and a crossword competition, in which tables vie to be the first to complete a puzzle by New York Times crossword constructor, Kevin Christian. This year’s Word Play will be held for the first time on the campus of USF St. Pete.

The night also pays tribute to Merl Reagle, who stumped and delighted puzzlers around the world for decades with crosswords created from his Tampa home. They’re the same puzzles, in fact, that are in the back of this paper each week.

Tickets start at $95 for Word Play 2026 on Wednesday, July 1 in St. Petersburg.