Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present is an epic poem by William E. Waters. It examines Black history and Black experience in America through slavery and its aftermath, linking historical memory to the persistence of racial injustice in the present.
About the Work
Rather than a conventional poetry collection, Black Shadows is an extended poetic work moving across history, memory, captivity, exploitation, resistance, survival, and the continuing consequences of racial hierarchy. The past remains active in contemporary life, shaping Black experience, public institutions, and national memory.
Award and Publication History
The work was a co-winner of the 1998 Edwin Mellen Poetry Prize. It was originally published by Edwin Mellen Poetry Press in 2000 and reissued by AuthorHouse in 2013.
Major Themes
- Black history and historical memory
- Slavery and its aftermath
- Race and American institutions
- Captivity, exploitation, resistance, and survival
- The relationship between past and present
Reviews and Related Writing
Read Norman Leer’s review of Black Shadows, “The Writing Life: Writing An Award-Winning Epic Poem”, and the site’s published preface to the book.
Publication Details
Author: William E. Waters
Genre: Epic poem
Original publication: Edwin Mellen Poetry Press, 2000
Reissue: AuthorHouse, 2013
Distinction: Co-winner, 1998 Edwin Mellen Poetry Prize
Reissue ISBN-10: 1481722883
Reissue ISBN-13: 9781481722889
Reissue length: 194 pages
Also known as: William Eric Waters
Available Edition
View Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass on Amazon.
William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters 