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.

The King is Dead!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The King is dead! I was 7 years young when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Growing up in the ‘60s, what one historian called the Decisive Decade, there was death all around. At 7, I didn’t understand the impact … Continue reading →

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Even a Black Poet is Considered Armed and Extremely Dangerous

Posted on January 20, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

(For Henry Dumas) It was a time when a president, a presidential candidate, a Prince of Peace, a Black knight in shining armor, and Black Panthers, were gunned down. Assassinations with political ramifications. But who’d think that a poet would … Continue reading →

Posted in Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Murder, Poetry, Politics, Revolution, Uncategorized, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nelson Mandela — On Love, Commitment and Freedom

Posted on December 6, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

This is an excerpt from an essay I wrote a number of years ago about Nelson and Winnie Mandela: I think we also have to break away from the bourgeois tradition of romantic love which isn’t necessarily about creating the … Continue reading →

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There are no second acts in American lives?

Posted on November 15, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives.” That’s only true if your life is a one act play! I’m in my third act, approaching the climatic scene, and the denouement won’t be anti-climatic!

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For Black People and All Peoples who Supported the Right to Vote for Blacks

Posted on November 5, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Vote! There was a time when Black people and all women could not vote in this country. The Union was formed in 1776, and Black men did not get the right to vote until 1870, with the passage of the … Continue reading →

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Voting in NYC — for District Attorney of Kings County

Posted on November 5, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

No excuse not to vote, especially for Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney. Let Charles Hynes know that he can’t jump from the Democratic to the Republican and Conservative parties because he lost the Democratic primary to Ken Thompson. He had … Continue reading →

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Waiting for Parole — Between Hope and Despair

Posted on October 29, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters
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“The Gift of Story and Song” — From my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass

Posted on October 15, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

From Griots to the Last Poets From Phillis Wheatley             to Gwendolyn Brooks. From highly imitative                     to Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry. From Various Subjects, Religious and Moral             to Annie Allen. From Zora Neale Hurston             to Toni Morrison. From … Continue reading →

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Review of my book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, by Norman Leer

Posted on October 12, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Following is a review of my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass,”when it was first issued, by Norman Leer: “…this poem is a powerful expression of black anger and despair.  Waters clearly knows his history…  I’m impressed … Continue reading →

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The Three Erics

Posted on October 10, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Three years ago, when I turned 50 years of age, I wrote a poem in the tradition of Ginsberg’s “Howl!,” talking about what had happened to some of the best of my generation. I titled it “Celebrating Fifty Years of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fathers, Growing Up, Malcolm X, Uncategorized, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment