William John Watkins (born 1942) is a science fiction writer and poet.
In the 1970s and 1980s he was known for novels, but in the last decade he has primarily been a short story writer and poet. In 2002 he won the Rhysling Award for short poem for We Die as Angels.
Watkins was a professor of humanities and one of the founding faculty members of Brookdale Community College in New Jersey, from which he retired in 2008. His middle-name is commonly written as "Jon."