Literature often imagines dramatic moments of moral collapse.
Life is usually quieter.
Sometimes we become strangers to ourselves one compromise at a time. Sometimes exhaustion, grief, fear, or survival slowly erase the person we intended to become. (And the worst thing that a person in prison can become is the stereotype of people in prison!)
William Eric Waters is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, essayist, educator, criminal-justice scholar, and nonprofit executive. Writing as William E. Waters, he is the author of the epic poem Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass and three poetry collections: Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, The Black Feminine Mystique, and The Black Blood of Poetry. Under the pen name Easy Waters, he is the author of the novel Streets of Rage and the short-story collection Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice. His work explores Black history, race, law, punishment, institutional power, accountability, redemption, and resilience.
Sometimes, the only way not to become a prison stereotype is by being intentional about creating a new paradigm.
Being wide open to self-reflection and accountability. Becoming cognizant of, and moving within, the liminal, threshold opportunities of incarceration, and post-incarceration.
Committing to spiritual, emotional, and psychological transformation.
Also, for me, being fiercely wed to a Christ-centered faith walk.
Finally, being determined to leave a positive, prison-stereotype-shattering imprint.
Sometimes, the only way not to become a prison stereotype is by being intentional about creating a new paradigm.
Being wide open to self-reflection and accountability. Becoming cognizant of, and moving within, the liminal, threshold opportunities of incarceration, and post-incarceration.
Committing to spiritual, emotional, and psychological transformation.
Also, for me, being fiercely wed to a Christ-centered faith walk.
Finally, being determined to leave a positive, prison-stereotype-shattering imprint.
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