William E. Waters

The Black Feminine Mystique: a Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award Finalist William E. Waters

The Black Feminine Mystique is a collection of poetry that celebrates women of color. It draws from mythology; from the many Black women heroines from history; from women living and dead; and from writers, artists, athletes, and women from the author's life, including but not limited to his four sisters and his mother. The Black Feminine Mystique paints a broad stroke from Isis to Ida B. Wells, from Hagar in the Wilderness to Winnie Mandela, and from the so-called Hottentot Venus to Venus Williams. One writer said that miscegenation created fifty-five shades, which is part of the Black Feminine Mystique.