Charles Waters (writer)

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Charles Waters
Occupation(s)Author of poetry and children's literature
Notable work Mascot (2023)
African Town (2022)
Website www.charleswaterspoetry.com

Charles Waters is an American writer, he has written African Town (2022), Mascot (2023), and The Mistakes That Made Us (2024).

Contents

Early life

Waters began his career as a theater actor and performed in regional productions of Shakespeare after graduating from college. He was hired to perform as part of Poetry Alive! when he was 29, and afterwards began writing poetry. He also worked as an actor at Walt Disney World. He took a poetry workshop taught by Lee Bennett Hopkins, who invited him to submit a poem about Fenway Park for a poetry anthology. [1]

Writing career

Waters collaborated with poet Irene Latham on a poetry collection about how race influences childhood friendships. The collection was published in 2018 as Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship. [2] [3] They later published The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets in 2024. [4] [5] He subsequently collaborated with Latham on the children's books Dictionary For A Better World (2020), [6] Be A Bridge (2022), [7] and If I Could Choose A Best Day (2025). [8] In 2022, they co-authored the young adult novel African Town. [9]

Waters co-wrote Mascot, a novel about a high school debate around racially insensitive mascots, with Traci Sorell in 2023. [10]

References

  1. Wise, Suzanne (2018-11-28). "Charles Waters: Rising Star of Children's Poetry". Poets House. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  2. "Can I Touch Your Hair". Kirkus Reviews.
  3. Bird, Elizabeth. "Review of the Day: Can I Touch Your Hair? by Irene Latham & Charles Waters". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  4. Latham, Irene; Waters, Charles. "The Mistakes that Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  5. "The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets by Charles Waters, Irene Latham". www.publishersweekly.com. August 8, 2024. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  6. "Dictionary for a Better World". Kirkus Reviews.
  7. "Be A Bridge". Kirkus Reviews.
  8. "If I Could Choose A Best Day". Kirkus Reviews.
  9. "'African Town' traces the history of the last slave ship sent to the U.S." NPR. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  10. Waters, Charles; Sorell, Traci. "Mascot". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-10.