In this episode of Afro Soul Stories, I sit down with author and musician Antonio Michael Downing, also known as John Orpheus, to explore the story behind his book Black Cherokee.

We dive into themes of identity, migration, and what it means to live between Trinidad and Canada—navigating multiple cultures while forming a sense of self. Antonio reflects on how storytelling becomes a way of understanding belonging, memory, and history.

We also explore his work as a musician, and how creativity flows between writing and sound, shaping a dual artistic practice that spans both literature and music.

At its core, this conversation is about heritage, voice, and the spaces we occupy between worlds.