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BlackLit Durham

Appropriate for teens, adults, and seniors,
Hosted at the St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts and Culture.
Advanced registration required.

Celebrate Black Canadian literary voices of all genres at a night of amazing performances and Q&A with the artists, hosted by Greg Frankson. Sign-ups for open mic start at 6:30 p.m. —poetry and prose are welcome! Visit blacklitdurham.com for more information.

ANTONIO MICHAEL DOWNING is an award-winning author, musician, and speaker whose work explores identity, belonging, and transformation through art and storytelling. Named one of Canada’s best emerging authors by the RBC Taylor Prize, his acclaimed memoir "Saga Boy" was nominated for the Toronto Book Award and the Speaker’s Book Award. His novel "Black Cherokee" was released by Simon & Schuster in 2025. He is also the host of "The Next Chapter" on CBC Radio One. Performing musically as John Orpheus, he blends Afro-Caribbean rhythms, soul, and narrative expression. Born in Trinidad and based in Canada, Antonio uses creativity as a bridge between culture, resilience, and personal growth.
 
TERESE MASON PIERRE (she/her) is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Walrus, ROOM, Brick, Quill & Quire, and Year's Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction, among others. Her work has been nominated for the bpNichol Chapbook Award, the Aurora Award, and the Ignyte Award. She is one of ten winners of the Writers’ Trust Journey Prize and was named a Writers’ Trust Rising Star. "Myth" is her debut poetry collection, and she is the editor of "As The Earth Dreams", an anthology of Black Canadian speculative short fiction. Terese lives and works in Toronto, Canada.