BIOGRAPHY

Antonio Michael Downing spends his time writing books, singing songs and trying to make his Grandma proud. 

He was named by the 2018 Taylor Prize as one of Canada's best emerging authors. His acclaimed memoir SAGA BOY was called by Giller Prize winner Ian Williams "the triumph of Blackness everywhere..." It was nominated for the Toronto Book Award and the Speaker’s Book Award in 2021.

BLACK CHEROKEE, his debut novel, will be released in North America by Simon and Schuster in 2025. He writes and performs music as John Orpheus.