(LOUISE) ERDRICH, THE BLUE JAY'S DANCE — [T]he jays are all screeching greed and hungry jeers. ... As soon as I've put down the seed,... jays appear, kamikaze-diving from the low branches of the poplars, plucking themselves upward at the final instant in swift chandelles.
| A. | Gushing, beyond glowing | EFFUSIVE |
| B. | "The School of Athens" artist | RAPHAEL |
| C. | Democracy's antithesis | DESPOTISM |
| D. | Indian state whose name means "Land of Kings" | RAJASTHAN |
| E. | Mushroom that's edible, but toxic if combined with alcohol (2 wds.) | INKYCAP |
| F. | Breed of sheep from Scotland's borderland | CHEVIOT |
| G. | Writer with a fondness for polydactyl cats | HEMINGWAY |
| H. | Archrivals of the Blue Devils (2 wds.) | TARHEELS |
| I. | Qualification for financial aid | HARDSHIP |
| J. | Vladimir's fellow waiter onstage | ESTRAGON |
| K. | Earl Scruggs or Pete Seeger, for example | BANJOIST |
| L. | 1968 Supremes hit that replaced "Hey Jude" at #1 (2 wds.) | LOVECHILD |
| M. | Opposite of beauty | UGLINESS |
| N. | Lure into a tight spot | ENTRAP |
| O. | Conclusion of a court case | JUDGMENT |
| P. | Collar, bag or nail | APPREHEND |
| Q. | Members of 1927's "Murderers' Row," informally | YANKS |
| R. | Altruistic, like a good team player | SELFLESS |
| S. | Longtime CBS news anchor (2 wds.) | DANRATHER |
| T. | Descriptive of the elephant in the room | AWKWARD |
| U. | 1960s protest movement (2 wds.) | NEWLEFT |
| V. | Sources of oil, water, butter and milk | COCONUTS |
| W. | Meditate in verse about a loss | ELEGIZE |