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Kentucky Voices
Water Street
The residents of Water Street are hardworking, God-fearing people who live in a seemingly safe and insulated neighborhood within a small Kentucky "Water Street is a place where mothers can turn their backs to flip a pancake or cornmeal hoecake on the stove and know our children are safe." But all is not as it seems as the secret lives of neighbors and friends are revealed in interconnected tales of love, loss, truth, and tragedy.
In this critically acclaimed short story collection, Crystal Wilkinson peels back the intricate layers that form the fabric of this community and its inhabitants―revealing emotionally raw, multifaceted tales of race, class, gender, mental illness, and interpersonal relationships. The thirteen succinct stories offer fragmented glimpses of an overarching narrative that emerges, lyrical and fierce. Featuring a new foreword and a new afterword which illuminate Wilkinson's artistic achievement, this captivating work is poised to delight a new generation of readers.
In this critically acclaimed short story collection, Crystal Wilkinson peels back the intricate layers that form the fabric of this community and its inhabitants―revealing emotionally raw, multifaceted tales of race, class, gender, mental illness, and interpersonal relationships. The thirteen succinct stories offer fragmented glimpses of an overarching narrative that emerges, lyrical and fierce. Featuring a new foreword and a new afterword which illuminate Wilkinson's artistic achievement, this captivating work is poised to delight a new generation of readers.
202 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
46 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Crystal Wilkinson
18 books437 followersCrystal Wilkinson, a recent fellowship recipient of the Academy of American Poets, is the award-winning author of Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, a culinary memoir, Perfect Black, a collection of poems, and three works of fiction—The Birds of Opulence , Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. She is the recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry, an O. Henry Prize, a USA Artists Fellowship, and an Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence. She has received recognition from the Yaddo Foundation, Hedgebrook, The Vermont Studio Center for the Arts, The Hermitage Foundation and others. Her short stories, poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including most recently in The Atlantic, The Kenyon Review, STORY, Agni Literary Journal, Emergence, Oxford American and Southern Cultures. She was Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky where she is a Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 27, 2015
If you’ve followed me on here for a while you know there are two things I’m not so keen on reading. The first one is series and the second one is short story collections. Now it seems as if I’m turning over a new leaf with the later. Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson is my third attempt at reading them and they seem to be getting better and better. I dare say I’ve been lucky or I just know how to choose a good book. Whatever it is Water Street is a short Water Streetstory collection you must check out.
The overall themes are about everyday feelings and problems – race, love and family relationships, mental health, getting older, coming of age, among many others. The characters in the book range from all different types and you’ll want to hear their story during the day and their inner secrets.... Click the link for the rest http://browngirlreading.com/2015/04/2...
The overall themes are about everyday feelings and problems – race, love and family relationships, mental health, getting older, coming of age, among many others. The characters in the book range from all different types and you’ll want to hear their story during the day and their inner secrets.... Click the link for the rest http://browngirlreading.com/2015/04/2...
April 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this short story collection. Crystal moves between time and families, and the writing is very real and at the same time lyrical. It also seems like love and intimacy were a part of all of the stories presented....but then that’s a real reflection on life. We all are seeking love and intimacy, and sometimes it reveals itself perfectly.
August 9, 2020
I loved this collection of thirteen interlinked lyrical and hard-as-nails stories that all take place in or around a small rural Kentucky town, on and around Water Street, and its nearby environs. Love, loss, crushes, tragedy, race, mental health, family relationships, aging and coming of age, the secrets underlying the lives of these friends and neighbors, in the past and how those pasts affect the present. Each story, told by a first-person narrator begins at a salient point in their lives, as a child, or teen, or adult, seeking what they want to find for themselves or are missing. A mother psychically disappears when her husband dies and leaves her daughter in the care of a friend; a girl learns the name of her unknown father by overhearing it, and during a summer spent with him still has no idea who she might be; close sisters who overhear, after a family barbecue, that one of them is not actually their father's biological daughter; a man about to get married realizes he shouldn't marry. I was entirely immersed in each story and in all of their lives.
May 16, 2021
Insightful
Each short story is a vignette focusing on a character with a tie to the setting of Water Street, Stanford, KY. Characters reflect intricacies of racial realities, family relationships, insecurities and disillusionment. Poignant writing, precise detail, sensitive perspectives of different stages of life and the personal choices that fill them.
Each short story is a vignette focusing on a character with a tie to the setting of Water Street, Stanford, KY. Characters reflect intricacies of racial realities, family relationships, insecurities and disillusionment. Poignant writing, precise detail, sensitive perspectives of different stages of life and the personal choices that fill them.
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July 18, 2018A linked collection of short stories set in a small Kentucky town. The format works so very well here; brief mentions of characters in one story gain deeper meanings once those characters have their turn in the spotlight, and by the end, the entire project thrums with a level of subtle emotional intensity that'd've been hard to develop and maintain in a novel.
Wilkinson writes with unshowy ease and empathy about the intimate, small-time dramas that shape people's lives, and while these stories often feel more like inconclusive vignettes at time, they're all very compelling and add up to something more than the sum of their parts. I'm really eager to read Wilkinson's other collection and her novel now.
Wilkinson writes with unshowy ease and empathy about the intimate, small-time dramas that shape people's lives, and while these stories often feel more like inconclusive vignettes at time, they're all very compelling and add up to something more than the sum of their parts. I'm really eager to read Wilkinson's other collection and her novel now.
December 10, 2013
Crystal was the teacher in a writing seminar I took, so I come at this with some bias. I probably would not have selected this book if not for that connection. But I'm glad I did. Crystal's writing is a pleasure and she crafts the characters so well. She makes each one unique and evokes their inner secrets and emotions. The stories here are intertwined and I kept thinking I should go back and chart out the characters and connections. Each story does stand alone though and each is engaging and reveling of a larger truth behind the individual's experience. The only negative comment I have is that I wanted the last story to somehow fit with the first to bring it full circle or tie it together. But the last story seemed the most disconnected. It doesn't diminish the stories, just left me slightly unsatisfied. I'd love to see a full novel from Crystal
January 22, 2012
I really love this author, and this book did not disappoint. However, I didn't like it as much as Blackberries, Blackberries. I didn't like how some of the stories just ended, and I felt like not enough was given for it to end the way it did. I like the idea of stories from different homes on the same street, and I enjoy how entertwined the character's lives were. Crystal has the ability transport me into someone else's life, even if just for a little while and that is the quality I love most about her writing. It's very realistic.
April 6, 2021
It's interesting reading this after Birds of Opulence. Wilkinson wrote Water Street first, but both texts exist in the same world, with the same characters. There were some things included in Water Street that she later updated for Birds of Opulence, certain continuities and back stories that really establish these people in this place. Reading both of these books so close together really shows her growth as an author.
October 21, 2018
I was not a fan of this novel. I can appreciate each short story individually and as it functions as a single narrative. I think my problem stems from a lack of cohesion. Yes, the novel takes place on Water Street. Yes, the characters are mostly connected to each other. Yes, each character has a known story and a hidden story. Yes, the many questions we (as readers) are left with are realistic; after all, we never get all the answers in life, so it makes sense to have these stories with open-ended questions. However, at no point do they truly converge. I wanted a reason for all of these characters and their stories. It seems that the only connection is location, and that unfortunately leaves the book feeling lacking by the end.
July 13, 2022
Water Street, one place with so many interconnected lives in a small Kentucky town, centered on highlighting “a life that [she] herself had lived but never seen represented—Black Kentucky, the mid-southern African diaspora, the Affrilachia that literature previously had not acknowledged”. I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories, their variety of characters, young, old, loving, bitter, longing, broken. Racial questions, gendered questions, aging questions. The range of human experience in this novel is beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every story.
January 12, 2022
Members of the neighborhood recall moments of their youth, coming of age among family and friends. There are secrets that have been held on to for years and questions that remain unanswered. There are characters whose descriptions will sound familiar and very much like some of the folks many of us recall from our youth. There is love, happiness, sadness and regrets as each of these neighbors reflects on their experience in days gone by.
May 8, 2022
Another wonderful work by Crystal Wilkinson! She kindly autographed my copy at the Laureates Out Loud event at NKU a couple of weeks ago. I love the exploration of family/relationship dynamics in this one. As in her other works, she’s not afraid to go for the dark or heavy topics, and I always find her approach refreshingly honest. It’s always a bonus to read about local, familiar places as well. I’m proud that she’s Kentucky’s poet laureate!
January 6, 2022
Reading this book felt like coming home. This book is so small town in the best possible way. Growing up in Danville, just 15 minutes from Stanford, it was so lovely to see this area represented and the stories of my community and surrounding communities being told.
The short stories feel so real, and it was really fascinating to see the interconnection between them.
Just wonderful.
The short stories feel so real, and it was really fascinating to see the interconnection between them.
Just wonderful.
January 19, 2022
Crystal Wilkinson's Water Street portrays a neighborhood of characters facing joys, sorrows, losses, and gains--a microcosm of humanity, and there's not one person in the book readers won't fall in love with, never mind the flaws. Here's a writer who shows us who we are.
February 20, 2019
How had I never heard of this writer? This is a wonderful collection, juicy, real, and sexy, about family and children and couples in a community on Water Street in a small Kentucky town.
November 17, 2019
Crystal Wilkinson is one of the finest writers today. She captures a town and its people with keen observations. Particularly loved “Before I Met My Father” and “The Fight.”
February 24, 2020
Amazing
April 17, 2020
A series of short stories with overlapping characters from a small town in Kentucky. Enjoyed it.
April 5, 2022
Easy Read
I grew up on wright street but ibelive their might of been some characters like the ones on Water Street.
I grew up on wright street but ibelive their might of been some characters like the ones on Water Street.
December 9, 2023
4-1/2 stars
I love Wilkinson’s writing and characters. The collection reminded me of Winesburg, Ohio and The House on Mango Street. I thought the vignettes were clever and layered.
I love Wilkinson’s writing and characters. The collection reminded me of Winesburg, Ohio and The House on Mango Street. I thought the vignettes were clever and layered.
March 1, 2024
This book was for class. My favorite out of the three. Added a lot of depth to characters, which I loved!!
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October 21, 2025Enjoy these little stories that reflect true daily life
October 20, 2009
Crystal Wilkinson's Water Street is an engaging novel that
transports the reader to a middle-class neighborhood in small town Stanford, Kentucky, USA. The residents are hardworking, law-abiding citizens who go to work, church, pay their taxes, and raise their families to the best of their abilities. In the opening passages of the book, the author mentions that every person has two stories to tell: one story by day and the other by night which is kept near the heart for safekeeping. Wilkinson allows the reader to experience both stories through the carefully crafted monologues and short narratives.
The novel opens with the manic-depressant Yolanda in the midst of a meeting with her psychiatrist. In her session, the reader is casually introduced to a few Water Street residents: her best friend, Mona whom she idolizes; her brother, KiKi, her husband, Junior; and a host of other characters who influenced her in childhood and adulthood. The beauty of the novel is the reader will learn more about Mona, Kiki, Junior, Sandy, Maxine, et al in subsequent chapters via a series of soliquies or third person accounts. Through the selected medium, the reader observes how they tackle a host of issues such as interracial relationships, marital problems, quests for love, divorce, absentee parents, etc.
Because it is a small town and all the residents live on Water Street, the stories are interconnected and the same characters are often mentioned in one or more stories. So for example, we hear about Mona, the best friend from Yolanda; Mona, my little sister's best friend that I slept with from Kiki; Mona in her own eyes, etc. We get up close and personal viewpoints from mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, neighbors and friends. One particular noteworthy item is that the author's skill in writing from the male perspective is equally compelling as from the female's. In "The Girl of My Dreams: Kiki", we find Kevin/Kiki calling off the wedding after the rehearsal dinner, but not for the reasons one may think because of the title of the story. We also experience other male viewpoints in the coming of age stories "Water Street, 1979: Junior", "Between Men", and a principled man in search of love in "An Ordinary Man: Reverend Townsend."
The dialogue is mature, the writing is great, and the stories are painfully honest. These are not eccentric or malevolent characters, in fact, they are so down-to-earth that they seem real, almost like ordinary folk instead of fictional protagonists. Just as with non-fictional beings, the harsh realities of life strikes Water Street as with any other street and the imperfections, vulnerabilities,pain, and joy of the characters are expertly revealed. Water Street's messages are universal and timeless: the same people with the same issues can be found in the inner cities as well as the rural landscapes in any decade. This is a great second novel by
Crystal Wilkinson; I must add her debut novel, Blackberries,
Blackberries to my list of books to check out this year.
transports the reader to a middle-class neighborhood in small town Stanford, Kentucky, USA. The residents are hardworking, law-abiding citizens who go to work, church, pay their taxes, and raise their families to the best of their abilities. In the opening passages of the book, the author mentions that every person has two stories to tell: one story by day and the other by night which is kept near the heart for safekeeping. Wilkinson allows the reader to experience both stories through the carefully crafted monologues and short narratives.
The novel opens with the manic-depressant Yolanda in the midst of a meeting with her psychiatrist. In her session, the reader is casually introduced to a few Water Street residents: her best friend, Mona whom she idolizes; her brother, KiKi, her husband, Junior; and a host of other characters who influenced her in childhood and adulthood. The beauty of the novel is the reader will learn more about Mona, Kiki, Junior, Sandy, Maxine, et al in subsequent chapters via a series of soliquies or third person accounts. Through the selected medium, the reader observes how they tackle a host of issues such as interracial relationships, marital problems, quests for love, divorce, absentee parents, etc.
Because it is a small town and all the residents live on Water Street, the stories are interconnected and the same characters are often mentioned in one or more stories. So for example, we hear about Mona, the best friend from Yolanda; Mona, my little sister's best friend that I slept with from Kiki; Mona in her own eyes, etc. We get up close and personal viewpoints from mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, neighbors and friends. One particular noteworthy item is that the author's skill in writing from the male perspective is equally compelling as from the female's. In "The Girl of My Dreams: Kiki", we find Kevin/Kiki calling off the wedding after the rehearsal dinner, but not for the reasons one may think because of the title of the story. We also experience other male viewpoints in the coming of age stories "Water Street, 1979: Junior", "Between Men", and a principled man in search of love in "An Ordinary Man: Reverend Townsend."
The dialogue is mature, the writing is great, and the stories are painfully honest. These are not eccentric or malevolent characters, in fact, they are so down-to-earth that they seem real, almost like ordinary folk instead of fictional protagonists. Just as with non-fictional beings, the harsh realities of life strikes Water Street as with any other street and the imperfections, vulnerabilities,pain, and joy of the characters are expertly revealed. Water Street's messages are universal and timeless: the same people with the same issues can be found in the inner cities as well as the rural landscapes in any decade. This is a great second novel by
Crystal Wilkinson; I must add her debut novel, Blackberries,
Blackberries to my list of books to check out this year.
February 26, 2017
I really liked the book. I felt like I knew the people who lived on Water Street by the time I finished the book.
August 28, 2014
I had read excerpts of Wilkinson's work in a Kentucky and Appalachian Writers course. She visited our class and told us some stories from her personal life, gave us some insight into her writing, and gave us a short private reading, and she also did a public reading and signing at the local bookstore, which I also attended. I chose to read Water Street before Blackberries, Blackberries mostly because I had read the short piece "In Plain Sight" from this text and had absolutely fallen in love with it, and wished to read the rest of the stories from the infamous Water Street.
Wilkinson does not disappoint. The front cover of the edition I read had a quote about her being comparable to other Southern writers such as Eudora Welty, and I must agree. This text was raw but elegant, something that I imagine is difficult to achieve. It displays the ins-and-outs of Appalachian life, the societal norms and customs, while also showing the struggle of the individual to be their own person, to act as they wish and feel fit, and deal with their own internal conflicts as well as the external as a result. The characters are dynamic and remarkably plausible. The situations and chain of events are perfectly planned and executed to create an incredible work of art and culture that should be read and cherished by all.
Wilkinson does not disappoint. The front cover of the edition I read had a quote about her being comparable to other Southern writers such as Eudora Welty, and I must agree. This text was raw but elegant, something that I imagine is difficult to achieve. It displays the ins-and-outs of Appalachian life, the societal norms and customs, while also showing the struggle of the individual to be their own person, to act as they wish and feel fit, and deal with their own internal conflicts as well as the external as a result. The characters are dynamic and remarkably plausible. The situations and chain of events are perfectly planned and executed to create an incredible work of art and culture that should be read and cherished by all.
June 6, 2011
Real deal beautiful stuff. These linked stories will sneak up on you, "quiet" and gem-polished on the surface, but always ready to kick you in the gut with an odd, original twist or moment (always organic and honest--never "tricky"). Wilkinson's use of narration is also superb, as many of the stories break the tired workshop maxim, "show, don't tell," by "telling" the rich emotional lives of characters (similar to Anderson in "Winesburg, Ohio," so the comparison made between the two in one of the blurbs makes sense). Time is also handled amazingly in these stories, as Wilkinson is often able to capture an entire lifetime in just eight-ten pages.
If you like fiction that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go, then you'll love "Water Street."
If you like fiction that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go, then you'll love "Water Street."
August 10, 2011
Water Street, Wilkinson’s follow-up to Blackberries, Blackberries, once again sets the reader right in the middle of Kentucky culture. Focusing her short stories on fictional inhabitants of Water Street creates a novel-like feel in the character studies exploring the interconnectedness of the characters of Water Street. Wilkinson’s stories examine human experience without being preachy. Wilkinson again demonstrates the challenges and joys of the human experience through her exquisite use of vernacular, description, setting and character.
April 4, 2016
Vibrant stories. I am not always a fan of books with a shattered narrative structure, but this one succeeds at every turn. Wilkinson does a fantastic job of portraying the lives on a particular street in a small town. Each new character feels complete, unique, and engaging. There is not a chapter that falls flat or feels out of place--which is quite a feat! This book went quick for me. Very enjoyable read.
April 13, 2014
An affrilachia set of short stories that are all centered around one small community on Water Street. I don't usually like this style of stories but think Wilkinson executed this well. Each chapter really could stand alone on it's own, but is only improved by being in a collection as they all intertwine.
November 3, 2016
I usually get bogged down reading a book of short stories , I'll get to a story that makes no sense and ends up in the air and I'm done. Well, not this book, all the stories are wonderful or amazing or shocking. Loved it. I also heard her read at Pitt Bradford the other day and bought her new book, Birds of Opulence which I can't wait to get into. Hope she keeps them coming.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews