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.

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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Prosecuting Murder Most Foul!

Posted on April 15, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1976, a childhood friend, at age 16, was charged, tried and convicted of felony-murder as an unarmed nonkilling accomplice, where robbery was the underlying felony, in which an individual was killed by one of my friend’s codefendants, with a … Continue reading →

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Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion, and the Criminal Justice System

Posted on March 28, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today is Palm Sunday. All lectionary churches read from The Passion of Christ from the Gospel According to Mark, believed to be, according to Biblical scholars, the first written account of the four Gospels. (It’s actually one Gospel, with four … Continue reading →

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A Good White Woman is Hard to Find

Posted on March 28, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I recently met some amazing people, one a Flannery O’Connor Scholar, which had me revisit O’Connor’s works. Granted, I hadn’t read her since college, a very long time ago, where almost all literature courses had you reading dead white men … Continue reading →

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“Don’t Drop the Soap!”

Posted on March 22, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

“Don’t drop the soap!” That phrase, with its origins in prison, has made its way into popular culture. Comedians invoke it, and even spin it. Chris Rock, for example, in one of his skits, talks about the “tossed salad” in … Continue reading →

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