Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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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 CONUNDRUMS QUOTATIONS PROJECT – CQ-001

Posted on July 1, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The author reflects on his past collection of quotations and intends to elaborate on selections from his short story collection, “Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice.” They explore themes of institutional personality, the paradox of visibility and invisibility in prisons, and the impact of lost privacy on human dignity. Continue reading →

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Short Stories that Challenge the Legal System: A Review by Dr. Mark Chapman of “Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice” by Easy Waters

Posted on June 26, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Easy Waters’ collection “Conundrums” features humorous and insightful short stories that explore the absurdities of prison and the legal system. The engaging narratives, filled with wit and deep reflection on justice, showcase Waters’ masterful storytelling and his ability to humanize incarcerated individuals. A must-read for enthusiasts of poignant fiction. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction & Short Stories, James Baldwin, Justice Chronicles, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, parole board, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, remorse, Sonny's Blues, Streets of Rage, The Black Blood of Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Review of The Black Blood of Poetry’s Impact and Critiques

Posted on April 17, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I asked ChatGPT to critically review my manuscript, “The Black Blood of Poetry.” This is what it returned: Continue reading →

Posted in Lest We Forget, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Black Blood of Poetry: Towards a Poetics of Darkened Substance

Posted on April 11, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

AbstractThis essay situates The Black Blood of Poetry within a transnational lineage I term dark substance poetics—a tradition in which poetry materializes itself through bodily substances (blood, milk, breath, ink) that are subsequently darkened, inverted, or corrupted. Moving from nineteenth-century … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Journey Through Crime, Justice & Literature – The Series

Posted on February 17, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In this series, I trace how a teenage brush with homicide headlines became a lifelong interrogation of justice. From police tape and tabloid “if it bleeds, it leads” narratives to courtrooms, prisons, and the literature that wrestles with guilt, I ask what truth survives punishment. Along the way, I revisit forgotten voices, personal losses, and hard-earned lessons—seeking a language that honors victims, confronts systems, and insists on humanity, story at a time, without flinching. Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, Black History Month, Education & Teaching, Genealogy, Growing Up, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Life Sentences, Martin Luther King, Murder, Parole, parole board, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, Reentry, remorse, Segregation, Slavery, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Streets of Rage, The Black Blood of Poetry, urban decay, Urban Impact | Leave a comment

Journey Through Crime, Justice & Literature, Part IV

Posted on February 16, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I began writing this fourth and “final” installment of “Journey Through Crime, Justice & Literature” on Martin Luther King Day. I re-read Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (16 April 1963), not for purposes of this series, but on this … Continue reading →

Posted in Growing Up, Justice Chronicles, Life Sentences, Literature & Cultural Criticism, Martin Luther King, raising black boys, Slavery, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Hundred Years of Black History

Posted on February 16, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My father was born the same month Negro History Week was announced, timed to Lincoln’s February 12 and Douglass’s February 14 birthdays. Nearing his centennial, he embodied Black history: North Carolina segregation, a segregated WWII Army, then migration to New York. He rarely spoke of it, but history and literature helped me understand. Continue reading →

Posted in Black History Month, Black patriotism, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Family, Fatherhood, Fathers, Growing Up, Lest We Forget, Martin Luther King, raising black boys, Segregation, The Black Blood of Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blood at the Root: Then and Now

Posted on February 5, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My first book, the award-winning epic poem, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present, deals with the theme(s) of “the captivity, exploitation and suffering of Black people in America.”  But not all of … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Lest We Forget, Murder, Race, History & American Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting _The Miseducation of the Negro_ This Black History Month

Posted on February 3, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Carter G. Woodson’s seminal book, The Miseducation of the Negro, published in 1926, is a book Black folk should periodically revisit, perhaps every three years, ideally every year.  If you are Black and you have not read the book, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Education & Teaching, Lest We Forget, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daddy Dearest

Posted on February 2, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My father, a Native Southern Son, was born in the same month and year Negro History Week was established. Then, we were Negroes. Thirty-four years later, when I was born, we were still Negroes. When my father died at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Family, Fatherhood, Fathers, Lest We Forget, raising black boys, Relationships, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment