Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Unknown's avatar

About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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.

The Watermelon Man in Williamsburg — “Only in New York!”

Posted on September 26, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

If you live in New York City, or if you have visited NYC, then you probably have an “Only in New York Story.” I am walking down the street in Williamsburg, the land of Hasidim and Hipsters, when I come … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Memory & Personal Essays | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

NYC Subway Story

Posted on September 14, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On my morning commute, as my train approaches the station, I see a Brother reading The Idiot, by Dostoevsky.  (People who know my literary tastes, know that I had a “Russian Period,” when I was reading many Russian authors.  Dostoevsky … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Virginia on My Mind

Posted on August 19, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There is something that keeps drawing me back to Virginia.  Although my father was born in North Carolina, he grew up in Virginia and returned there in 1946 after he was discharged from the segregated U.S. Army.  He was drafted … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Memory & Personal Essays, Genealogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering My Father as I Remember Maceo Snipes, Black Veteran, Shot to Death After Voting in Georgia Primary — July 18, 1946

Posted on July 19, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

As a teenager my father, a Native Southern Son (NC and VA), was drafted to serve in the segregated U.S. Army during World War II. Shortly after he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1946, he moved to Brooklyn, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Inexplicable Endurance of the N Word

Posted on June 9, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

As some of you know, I am currently teaching a course, African American Literature in the 20th Century, for Bennington College.  The primary text for the course is The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, 3rd Edition.  In the anthology … Continue reading →

Posted in Race, History & American Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

James Baldwin’s Journey Through Politics

Posted on May 6, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Thirty years ago I wrote an essay, “The Election Time Blues.”  It spoke about how political discourse in America was depressing; at least, it depressed me, and it continues to do so.  When crime is on the platform, it becomes … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism, Politics & Public Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom Redux

Posted on May 2, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In “Many Thousands Gone,” one of James Baldwin’s essays in Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin writes about white America’s favorite aunt and uncle, Jemima and Tom: “There was no one more forbearing than Aunt Jemima, no one stronger or … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Politics & Public Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maya Angelou Redux

Posted on April 4, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this, Maya Angelou’s birthday, I thought I would repost a blog, “Maya Angelous: A Muse for All.” On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Pledge of Allegiance, Little White Lies, and All that Jazz!

Posted on March 7, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

It has been more than 50 years since I was in elementary school in the New York City public school system, yet I remember, word for word, the “Pledge of Allegiance.”  At this time, I thought nothing of it, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Racial Reckoning & Reparations

Posted on February 24, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

As a society, we (Americans) have talked about a “racial reckoning,” and reparations for the descendants of Africans who built this country.  Neither a racial reckoning nor reparations have happened. A racial reckoning has not happened because most white folk … Continue reading →

Posted in Race, History & American Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments