> Why can't I?

"I want to have a meeting of the minds" is a valid preference all by itself that involves no prejudice.

> Preferences don't need to be explained.

I don't understand how you start a paragraph with this, and then spend the rest of it taking about how you dismiss people's author-based preferences.

You're allowed to have preferences based on the work itself and the author. Death of the author is not a fundamental truth of the universe. And having those preferences, caring about the author, is not convincing yourself of anything, is not any kind of self-deception.