The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word EMERSON
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
M
E
R
S
O
N
More clues leading to the result EMERSON
- Intriguing people dismissing school supported by US thinker
- Individual, first off, has me engaged, a US poet
- Writer's the writer powerless character inspires
- American thinker: this writer elevated individual not wanting power
- US writer coming out? I must come out too
- Individual lacking power engages me, an American writer
- Poet remains active when book released
- Writer remains active having released book
- American author being without power to engage me
- US writer‘s feature about rock band making a comeback
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "author" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case author = emerson.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.