Category Archives: Poetry

THE CONUNDRUMS QUOTATION PROJECT – Origins

Posted on July 12, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Conundrums Quotation Project began as an exploration of quotes from various books, primarily inspired by biblical texts. The author shares a personal anecdote about being influenced by a Romanian poet’s phrase, which ultimately became the title of a poetry collection published after twenty years. The book is available on Amazon. Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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For the Love of Poetry

Posted on January 13, 2026 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I love poetry. It is only fitting that my fourth book of poetry, The Black Blood of Poetry, will be released this Valentine’s Day. Although this forthcoming selection, on its face, may not seem like “love poetry,” it is, because … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Legacy of Anti-Blackness in Poetry

Posted on August 6, 2025 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I have been working on The Black Blood of Poetry for several years. Over the next 30 days, I will be revising the manuscript to submit to contests and publishers. My Artist Statement about The Black Blood of Poetry: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Growing Up, Lest We Forget, Osborne Association, Poetry, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Fourth of July Day Lynching

Posted on July 5, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

For Norris Dendy 07.04.1933 (Clinton, South Carolina) To the Negro, what is the Fourth of July? A picnic celebration with family and friends Not a day to be beaten, not a day to die! On this celebration of Independence,  still … Continue reading →

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On this day, April 9, 1939, in American History…

Posted on April 9, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

…Marian Anderson Performs for 75,000 Outside Lincoln Memorial, because she was banned from indoor venues because of her race. See https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/apr/09. My poetic tribute to Marian Anderson, in my collection, The Black Feminine Mystique:

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The Assassination of Dr. King – My first “political memory”

Posted on April 4, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My first political memory, at age 7, is the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I was too young to remember the assassinations of JFK and Malcolm X, and although RFK would be assassinated later in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Growing Up, John F. Kennedy, Lest We Forget, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Murder, Poetry, Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society, raising black boys, Revolution, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poetry Matters

Posted on April 1, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

April is National Poetry Month. It was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. It is a month to celebrate poets’ integral role in our culture. #poetrymatters. This National Poetry Month, read one of my books of … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, NYPD, Poetry, police involved shooting, police-involved killing, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

From the American Revolution to the Black Arts Cultural Revolution

Posted on February 21, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

After the American Revolution, most of the defining moments in American history involve or revolve around Black people.  Black folk were even involved in the American Revolution, fighting on both sides – the British promised Africans and the descendants of … Continue reading →

Posted in Black patriotism, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Growing Up, John F. Kennedy, Lest We Forget, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Nation of Islam, Patriotism, Poetry, Politics & Public Affairs, Revolution, Slavery, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment