“One hell of a book.”
—DAVY ROTHBART,
contributor to This American Life, creator of Found Magazine,
and author of My Heart Is An Idiot
—DAVY ROTHBART,
contributor to This American Life, creator of Found Magazine,
and author of My Heart Is An Idiot
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pa·ri·ah n. an outcast.
syn·tax n. the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. From a nine-by-eleven cell in a maximum-security prison, Byron Case, a one-time child prodigy wrongfully convicted of murder at age twenty-three, began blogging. Composed on an electronic typewriter, his dispatches take many forms—richly textured in-the-moment vignettes, poems, gleefully recollected anecdotes, satirical commentaries on the penal system, and more. In whatever shape Case writes, his steady voice comes through clearly and distinctively. Evocative even at its most reserved, poetic even at its most prosaic, undefeated even at its most melancholy, The Pariah’s Syntax: Notes from an Innocent Man collects some of Case’s best personal writings from prison. It is a lush, variegated assortment: forty pieces of prose and poetry (fifteen never before published), each a shining example of this young writer’s talent, resolve, and above all, humanity. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Who is the Pariah? Byron Case is an imprisoned writer and poet from Kansas City, Missouri, unjustly serving two life sentences for a murder he did not commit. In addition to his book, The Pariah's Syntax (redbat books, 2013), Byron’s work has been published or is forthcoming in an array of periodicals, including J Journal, Rattle, Alimentum, Trajectory, Meridian, and Hyperlexia Journal. He has also contributed essays to the anthologies A Manner of Being (University of Massachusetts Press, 2015), The Moment (Harper Perennial, 2012), and Requiem for a Paper Bag (Fireside, 2009). His current project is a novel-in-stories about survivors of a zombie apocalypse. To follow the campaign to FREE BYRON CASE:
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Praise for The Pariah’s Syntax
“Byron Case is a sharp, soulful writer with talent to burn. These pages bristle with intelligence and dry wit, as Case reflects with powerful, moving perspective on his life before prison and behind bars. This is storytelling at its finest and most courageous. One hell of a book.”
Praise for The Pariah’s Syntax
“Byron Case is a sharp, soulful writer with talent to burn. These pages bristle with intelligence and dry wit, as Case reflects with powerful, moving perspective on his life before prison and behind bars. This is storytelling at its finest and most courageous. One hell of a book.”
—DAVY ROTHBART, contributor to This American Life,
creator of Found Magazine, and author of My Heart Is An Idiot
creator of Found Magazine, and author of My Heart Is An Idiot
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“Vivid ... flashes of brilliance.” --Kirkus Reviews
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“Vivid ... flashes of brilliance.” --Kirkus Reviews
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“Byron Case’s personal essays and poetry are a force of grace, will, and power… Whether on the inside or out, Case’s story offers us a life lesson we all knew at one point but the author reminds us in these six words: ‘We cling to what we can.’ ”
—LARRY SMITH, creator of Six-Word Memoirs® from SMITH Magazine and editor of
The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories from 125 Writers and Artists Famous & Obscure
The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories from 125 Writers and Artists Famous & Obscure
