In every beginning sleeps the promise of an ending. Works of ancient philosophy as much as contemporary breakup songs address the inevitability of things coming to an end. The Pariah's Syntax started eighteen years ago. Although I wasn't thinking at the time about how or when I'd stop blogging, this wrap-up was bound to come.
I'm minutes away from typing the concluding sentence of this final Pariah's Syntax post. Come 2026, this blog will be an archive. You'll need to follow my Substack if you want to keep reading.
I wonder how many hours I've spent blogging. It all started when a friend offered to post on MySpace some stuff I'd written. Three short personal essays went up on that platform before officials declared social media off-limits for prisoners. I briefly vanished from the public eye, then my supporters got clarification: the DOC gave written authorization to post my writing online, provided I leave out my address and don't try to "solicit pen pals."
Perfectly acceptable. The goal was never two-way communication. That MySpace page existed so I could share perspectives and thoughts from my prison cell. Way back in 2008, that concept felt revolutionary, even a little bit transgressive. Today, websites like Prison Journalism Project, the American Prison Writing Archive, and the Marshall Project showcase the writing of incarcerated people everywhere. Sharing this type of work no longer feels edgy—but it's no less important.
Regardless of how routine authoring this blog has come to feel, eighteen years of doing anything is a long time. I've changed along the way. Forever an unrepentant weirdo, I nevertheless believe that touting my pariah status smells too much like victimhood. I'm an outcast accurate in terms of my legal status, but I've said for years that I am not my case. I'm ready to emerge from this restrictive pariah-cocoon, fully fledged, and fly.
Call it a pivot, a rebranding, a transition, whatever you prefer. The Pariah's Syntax, after this, will be no more. Look for a new beginning on a different platform, with content delivered in a more direct way, along with a few cool surprises.
Go to my Substack now and click "Follow" to be sure you don't miss my first post on New Year's Eve. I'm excited to see you there!
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Byron does not have Internet access. Pariahblog.com posts are sent from his cell by way of a secure service especially for prisoners' use. We do read him your comments, however, and he enjoys hearing your thoughts very much.