___ Perry, award-winning author of 2022’s “South to America”

IMANI

Not available

This clue is asking for the first name of the author Imani Perry, who won awards for her 2022 book South to America. The blank signals a missing first name, and since "Perry" is already given, the answer is simply "Imani." No wordplay here—it’s a straightforward fill-in-the-blank for a well-known writer’s name.