Episode 103 -Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy and Black Cherokee

Antonio Michael Downing is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir Saga Boy was called "singularly dazzling" by Kiese Laymon and "the triumph of Blackness everywhere" by Scotiabank Giller Prize–winner Ian Williams. He is also the author of the children's picture book Stars in My Crown and his debut novel, Black Cherokee . He writes and performs music as John Orpheus. In this Episode Lissa and Antonio travel the world in their far reaching conversation from Trinidad, to Canada, to Brooklyn, to the Cherokee Nation- discussing his memoir Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming , his debut novel Black Cherokee , and a broader conversation about lineage and inherited systems. For GO DEEPER content visit Black Market Reads is produced by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature in partnership with iDream.tv. Our production team for this episode includes co-producers Lissa Jones and Edie French, technical director Paul Auguston, the voice Yo Derek, and our artist of inspiration Ta-coumba T. Aiken.

You can listen to Episode 103 -Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy and Black Cherokee online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 103 -Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy and Black Cherokee is an episode from Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads by iDream.tv.

This episode is 46:02 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.