Join author\, speaker and musician Antonio Michael Downing \;for a discussion about his debut novel\, Black Cherokee with moderator Teneile Warren.
\nPresented in partnership with Words Worth Books.
\ nBetty meets Queen ie in this courageous coming-of-age story about a Black girl fighting for recognition in a South Carolina Cherokee community that refuses to ac cept her ancestry as legitimate.
\nOphelia Blue Rivers is a descende nt of Cherokee Freedmen: Blacks formerly enslaved by rich southern Cheroke e. She is &ldquo\;Black&rdquo\; but doesn&rsquo\;t understand why that mak es her different. She is &ldquo\;Cherokee&rdquo\; but struggles to know wh at that means.
\nTheir town of Etsi&mdash\;once a reservation&mdash\ ;still lives with the wounds of its disbanding. When the town\, and the ri ver that sustains it\, are put in mortal danger personal rivalries threate n their very survival. Against this backdrop Ophelia begins her spirited\, at times harrowing\, search for place and family. She must discover: what does it mean to belong when belonging comes at such a high price?
\nWith dazzling language\, keen insight\, and an unforgettable voice\, Blac k Cherokee is an astonishing novel from an emerging literary talent.
\nTeneile \;is a Jamaican-born\, Black\, non-bi nary\, and queer playwright and art activist based in Kitchener\, Ontario. Their writing has been published in Briarpatch\, Barren Magazine\, CBC\, Huffington Post and insidewaterloo to name a few. As a playwright\, their most recent play\, Beyonsea and the Mothers was commissioned and produced by Green Light Arts. Their play writing has been featured in thea tre festivals across the country including Summerworks. Teneile is an alum of the Obsidian Playwrights' Unit (2013)\, they were the Artist-In-Reside nce at Buddies in Bad Times (2016) and the Artist-In-Residence at Green Li ght Arts (2024). They are also the Editorial Director of Textile Magazine\, a n arts collective that supports emerging writers and artists in Waterloo R egion\, particularly those from historically excluded and marginalized gro ups. Teneile&rsquo\;s art is a vehicle for social commentary and activism. \;Teneile \;holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of G uelph. They are also a recipient of a King Charles III coronation medal\, the Waterloo Region Community Foundation's 2024 Community Catalyst Award r ecipient and the 2023 recipient of the Black Excellence in Leadership Awar d. \;
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\nProgrammer: Grace
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