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.

There is always a story…

Posted on October 31, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Just the other day I was walking by the Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Broadway and Halsey in Brooklyn when a man, probably my age plus twenty years of hard living on the streets, limped up to me and … Continue reading →

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

Remembering Attica

Posted on September 14, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Attica Rebellion. For far too many, it is an event not remembered, and is overshadowed by 9-11, the 10th Anniversary of 9-11. But when it happened, in September of 1971, the repercussions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, Race, History & American Society | Leave a comment

Remembering 9-11

Posted on September 12, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Everyone in New York City has a 9-11 story. Mine begins nearly two months before that fateful day. I was in the World Trade Center with my ex-wife, who is originally from Jamaica. (I am a born and bred New … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Memory & Personal Essays | 1 Comment

On the Dock

Posted on September 7, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

We are moored to the dock Supine Stargazing Lost in the Milky Way I feel so far away from home Where we can’t see the stars We oooh and aaah at shooting stars This is better than the Macy’s Fourth … Continue reading →

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

My September 2011 Editorial from The Deuce Club* –“The Re-entry World Just Got a Little Larger”

Posted on September 3, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There’s this joke among insiders inside the re-entry world, that when you go to these re-entry conferences and the like, that you see “the usual suspects.” This speaks to the fact that there’s a small passionate group committed to doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Reentry & Community | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting The Summer of Capri

Posted on August 27, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I just re-read the first six chapters of my novel, which is still waiting to be born, and I am committed to working on it, to having a full draft by the end of the year. After all, the whole … Continue reading →

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I Have found a Muse

Posted on August 27, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I have found a Muse. No, we have found each other. She inspires me to write love letters. Will love make me a better Poet? Maybe I’ll write a love song.

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism | Leave a comment

In your experience, what town has the most friendly people?

Posted on August 27, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I am a native New Yorker, a born and bred Brooklynite. New Yorkers have a reputation for being rude, and the women unapproachable. Hey, we love you, stylishishly dressed in black, looking good but oh so unapproachable and mean. Sometimes … Continue reading →

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

Support the Coalition for Parole Restoration

Posted on August 27, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

For the past eight years I have edited the newsletter of the Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR). We have gathered some of the best writing in this newsletter over the last ten years and issued an Anniversary Journal. Please support … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Justice Chronicles | Leave a comment

The Summer of Capri — Chapter 6

Posted on June 25, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There was parking right in front of Erma Black’s brownstone on Macon Street. I perfectly parallel parked the Camry. I rang the doorbell and Mrs. Black came to the door and opened it. “Thanks for coming,” she said, wiping her … Continue reading →

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