The author parameter was entered in the hugoBasicExample config 7 years ago by the original Hugo creator.
It appears that sometime later, the author parameter was changed into a map.
I haven’t really paid attention to it, because I never needed to.
@cshoredaniel Yes, I think that you should send a PR at the hugoBasicExample repo, but first you need to create an associated issue with a link to this forum topic, so that your PR fixes the issue.
Also please note that I am no longer associated with the Hugo project on GitHub and I no longer maintain the Hugo Themes Showcase and its repositories.
I am simply a moderator of this forum (time permitting) and nothing more.