Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Award-winning poet, playwright, and essayist. Author of three books of poetry, "Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present"; "Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats"; "The Black Feminine Mystique," and a novel, "Streets of Rage," written under his pen name Easy Waters. All four books are available on Amazon.com. Waters has over 25 years of experience in the criminal legal system. He is a change agent for a just society and a catalyst for change.

Maya Angelou, A Muse for All Ages

Posted on February 14, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  I love Maya and this book! Maya Angelou was challenged by none … Continue reading →

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The Work of Reconstruction Continues. . .

Posted on February 13, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880, by W.E.B. DuBois, is a must read.  One Amazon reviewer wrote, “This book is a great clue to the puzzle of how we got where we are today.”  Indeed, this period would inform the next … Continue reading →

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Octavia E. Butler — Amen I Say to You! Amen!

Posted on February 12, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Octavia E. Butler went where no Black women writers had gone before – her writing is out of but of this world!  Butler was the first science fiction writer to ever receive the MacArthur Fellowship.  And though Butler can be … Continue reading →

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A Love Letter to George Jackson

Posted on February 11, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

“When was the last time you hand wrote a personal letter?” Twice a year, in the fall and spring semesters, for a number of years, Lawrence Mamiya, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College, who passed away … Continue reading →

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They Came in the Morning, and Returned that Night

Posted on February 10, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

This book was originally published in 1971, three years after Richard Nixon declared his War on Crime when he was campaigning for the U.S. presidency.  As I have written elsewhere, Nixon’s declaration of war in 1968 marked the beginning of … Continue reading →

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Almost Sonnets

Posted on February 9, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today I have a bonus book recommendation.  I confess it’s a bit of self-promotion, since it is my book.  In fact, I began Black History Month by recommending my award-winning book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance … Continue reading →

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The Gift that Keeps On Giving

Posted on February 9, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

J.A. Rogers is probably the greatest autodidact in the history of the world!  Not only was Rogers self-taught, but he was also self-financed and self-published.  Talk about self-determination and controlling the narrative! I would recommend any book by Rogers.  Among … Continue reading →

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Reconstruction Revisited

Posted on February 8, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

This book is, for the most part, unknown, even among history buffs, as I am.  (I actually stumbled upon it more than 30 years ago. Someone had placed it among the trash!)  This book though covers one of the most … Continue reading →

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A Good Black Man is Hard to Find: The Pathological World of Alice Walker

Posted on February 7, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Dear God! Once upon a time – it seems that long ago – I was working on a Master of Fine Arts (MFA).  I was reading Alice Walker.  She had accused Black men, specifically Black male authors, of not reading … Continue reading →

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A Funeral, Two Graduations, and a Milestone Birthday Celebration

Posted on June 13, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In a six-day span, I attended my baby brother’s funeral, our two daughters’ graduations, from middle school and high school, and my sister Cheryl’s milestone (60th) birthday celebration. At Whitney’s funeral, I spoke on behalf of our family. Here, I … Continue reading →

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