| 100% | EDUCATION | 9 | Central issue for the author of 15-Across |
| 47% | EDGAR | 5 | Mystery award named for the author of "The Imp of the Perverse" |
| 46% | MELVILLE | 8 | Author of 15-Across, Herman ___ |
| 45% | STINE | 5 | Author of the "Fear Street" series for young readers |
| 44% | SAMUELBECKETT | 13 | Author of the absurdist play "Waiting for Godot": 2 wds. |
| 44% | BINYON | 6 | Laurence —, author of 1914 poem For the Fallen |
| 44% | BEV | 3 | Abbreviation for the first name of author Cleary |
| 44% | SIDNEYPOITIER | 13 | Star of 15- and 34-Across who won an Oscar for "Lilies of the Field": 2 wds. |
| 43% | GEORGEORWELL | 12 | Author of the novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Coming Up for Air |
| 43% | TONYPARSONS | 11 | Author of novels Men from the Boys and One for My Baby |
| 43% | EMCEE | 5 | Kevin Hart, for the Comedy Central roast of Justin Bieber |
| 43% | KEYES | 5 | Marian —, author of the novels Angels and Sushi for Beginners |
| 43% | LECARRE | 7 | Author known for the intelligence of his writing? |
| 42% | SOPHIEHANNAH | 12 | Author of the novels A Game for All the Family and Little Face |
| 42% | MANNING | 7 | Olivia —, author of novels The Rain Forest and School for Love |
| 42% | STEPHEN | 7 | & 24A Author of stage plays Shout Across the River and Strawberry Fields |
| 42% | PLAYOFF | 7 | With 15 Across, growth for many a player pursuing the Stanley Cup |
| 42% | LAPPE | 5 | Frances Moore ___, author of the best-selling "Diet for a Small Planet" |
| 41% | TRUMAN | 6 | With 33-Across, friend of 15-Across who was the basis for Dill in "To Kill a Mockingbird" |
| 41% | SIRJAMESMBARRIE | 15 | Author of the quote beginning at 26-Across |
| 41% | ARKHAM | 6 | With 33-Across, institution for the criminally insane that is central to the plot of "Gotham" |
| 41% | SHRIVER | 7 | Lionel —, author of novels So Much for That and Checker and the Derailleurs |
| 41% | ODETS | 5 | Clifford —, author of the stage plays Waiting for Lefty and Clash by Night |
| 41% | REBECCAYARROS | 13 | Bestselling romance and fantasy author of 15-Across, 30-Across, and 2021's "The Things We Leave Unfinished" (2 wds.) |
| 41% | FOVEA | 5 | Part of the eye responsible for sharp central vision |
| 41% | LYNNECHENEY | 11 | Author of the children's book "A Is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women" |
| 40% | WYNDHAMLEWIS | 12 | Vorticist painter; author of novels The Revenge for Love and The Apes of God |
| 40% | ROBINSON | 8 | Marilynne —, author of 2004 novel Gilead; winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction |
| 40% | TAXI | 4 | Synonym for the last part of 28-Across |