April is National Poetry Month. Purchase and read one of my three books of poetry.

My first, award-winning book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass:

Co-winner of the Edwin Mellen Poetry Prize

. . . this poem is a powerful expression of black anger and despair. Waters clearly knows his history. . .I’m impressed that Waters is able to relate slavery back to historic and current African practices, which were in fact aggravated and exploited but not originated by Europeans. . . The poem has some excellent material on the sexual exploitation of blacks by whites during slavery, and on the artificial color categories that emerged from this and that were used to buttress segregation and racism. Stylistically, the poem is strong when it uses repetition to support its angers and ironies… One might say that Waters’ poem celebrates the heroism of black survival.

— Normal Leer

A National Poetry Series Finalist

This collection began by writing one poem on police misconduct reported in the news. After this, at least once a week, there were more and more reports on police misconduct in the news, resulting in me writing more and more poems on law enforcement misconduct. Within a year, I had more than enough poems for a collection.

A Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award Finalist

Just a tribute to Black women in history, in literature, and in my life, dedicated to my sisters.