| THEBLUESTEYE | One of the four books by Toni Morrison that 1-Across picked, which was the most of any author |
| BELOVED | Novel by Toni Morrison that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 |
| CANON | Rule in ecclesiastical matters; a principle applied in a branch of learning such as philosophy or art; a list of saints; or, the works of any author accepted as genuine (5) |
| ALBRECHT | German painter and engraver of the Renaissance (1471-1528) who wrote the Four Books on Human Proportion (8,5) |
| DURER | German painter and engraver of the Renaissance (1471-1528) who wrote the Four Books on Human Proportion (8,5) |
| EXETER | City which was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain (6) |
| OFMEANPEOPLE | The Book ___ 2002 children's book by Toni Morrison as told from a bunny's perspective: 3 wds. |
| ANEWEARTH | Spiritual book by Eckhart Tolle that sold 3.5 million copies in the month after 1-Across picked it in 2008 |
| TAR | '--- Baby', 1981 book by Toni Morrison (3) |
| FRAMER | Any author of the Constitution |
| ANDYREID | Kansas City Chiefs coach who's fourth in all-time wins, the most of any active coach: 2 wds. |
| ESSES | Mississippi has the most of any state |
| BEYONCE | She received 11 Grammy nominations this year, the most of any artist |
| ENDYMION | Poem in four books by John Keats (8) |
| LANARK | Classic novel in four books by Alasdair Gray (1981) (6) |
| ELEGIST | Any writer of poem of lament (7) |
| ARAINYDAY | Save for this diary, any author's intro should be edited |
| ALE | 36 Across, picked up the wrong way |
| SPAYED | Done, 6 across picked up? (6) |
| STAY | The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber hit that was in the top 10 for 44 weeks in the 2020s, second most of any song |
