Anthony Graves turns jailhouse writing into book, 'Infinite Hope'

He started on a typewriter, click-clacking away into the night in the quiet of a prison cell.

That was sometime around 2000, when Anthony Graves didn't know if he'd see the light of day again - back when the state still planned to execute him for a crime he didn't commit.

In the nearly two decades he spent on Texas' death row, the wrongfully convicted Brenham man faced two execution dates. His three sons grew up without him. The world moved on, but he kept writing, typing, recording his thoughts.

And then, there was hope. First, his co-defendant recanted. Then in 2006, a federal appeals court set aside his conviction and sentence. Finally, in 2010, prosecutors dropped the charges against him, and he walked out of prison a free man.

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Now, all the labor of those late nights on a jailhouse typewriter has come to fruition. The exonerated man's first book - "Infinite Hope" - was released last week.

In anticipation of his Monday appearance at Brazos Bookstore, Graves talked about his journey and his hopes for the future.

Q: So, first of all, it looks like you haven't been in the news that much in the past couple of years - what have you been keeping busy with?

A: I've been doing everything! I've been traveling around the world sharing my message about criminal justice reform, and also I spent a lot of time writing my book, as well as teaming up with the ACLU to be part of their Smart Justice initiative. And I'm also still on the board of the Houston Forensic Science Center.

Q: Did you always know you would write a book about this someday?

A: Yes - I knew that the story needed to be told. This story is to be shared with the rest of the world to awaken some people with the reality of the death penalty, not the theory.

Q: Before all this, what was your take on the death penalty?

A: I had no position on it - I just believed if you did the crime you did the time. I never thought about the death penalty itself … In a perfect world, it could probably work, but we don't live in a perfect world.

Q: Do you stay in touch with any of the men you did time with?

A: Somewhat - but Texas executed most of the guys that I knew. I try to stay focused on the bigger picture. You try to eliminate the death penalty in the name of those people who were wrongfully executed. I was there when we were executing guilty people - but also when we were executing innocent people.

Q: Do you think any of the guys who are still in there will read your book?

A: They're anticipating it. As well as the criminal justice world - I think this book is going to be huge.

Q: Is your book on the banned-books list?

A: I hope that Texas prisons let it in! There's nothing in it that shouldn't let it in.

Q: Did you write it that way intentionally, so guys in prison could read it?

A: Yes. I wanted to make sure that those I was trying to reach out to and give hope to could actually receive this book.

Q: Were you a writer before this?

A: I wrote a lot of letters to people around the world asking them to save my life - maybe that turned me into a writer.

Q: Do you ever wonder what your life would be like otherwise?

A: No, I don't. I don't feel like I missed something - I feel like I was prepared for something. Because of what happened to me, I have a story to tell that changes people's lives, that gives people hope. Had this story not happened to me, I would not be able to give it to other people. I would just be the guy working and making babies. So in hindsight, this gave my life a lot of purpose that I didn't even know existed within me.

Q: Are there any ways in which it's changed you for the better? Any positive takeaways from a really dark time?

A: It has allowed me to put things and life in the proper perspective. It has taught me that what seems to be too big is not too big. It has given me a better appreciation for life every day. There is not a day in my life right now that I feel is too overwhelming, that I have problems. I'm happy to have whatever problems I have. I know that God is still being good to me if I can wake up and say that I'm still alive. Every day is a blessing, not just some days. That's what this whole experience has taught me. Be happy that you have the problems that you complain about.

Q: So it's been, what, seven years now? Does it ever still feel weird being out after so many years in isolation?

A: No. I deserved to be here. So it never felt weird. The thing with me that separated me from most is I never thought about dying - I always thought about living. So I lived on death row.

Q: And when you had two execution dates?

A: I never stopped living. When you're no longer afraid of death, you can't scare me with it. When I got a date, I just thought, "I'm going to live till I die."

Q: What's next for you?

A: I just shot a pilot for a possible TV show with Apple Entertainment, and I think they'll start pitching it after my book comes out. I continue to speak around the country, and it's my hope to get picked up one day by a speakers bureau. I feel like when I'm up there on a stage speaking, that's my safe haven. That's my therapy, and I can't get enough of it.