{"podcast":{"title":"What Happened Next: a podcast about newish books","slug":"what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402","podcast_index_feed_id":6367402,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/67f6cc8f0c09f66202906ee8","website_url":"https://thewalrus.ca/podcasts/what-happened-next/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/67f6cc8f0c09f66202906ee8/show-cover.jpg","author":"Nathan Whitlock","episode_count":167,"summary":"In each episode of What Happened Next, author Nathan Whitlock interviews other authors about what happens when a new book isn’t new anymore, and it’s time to write another one. This podcast is presented in partnership with The Walrus.https://thewalrus.ca/podcasts/what-happened-next/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T16:19:26.730524+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402"},"episode":{"title":"Antonio Michael Downing","slug":"antonio-michael-downing","published_at":"2026-02-02T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402/antonio-michael-downing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402","url":"https://shows.acast.com/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books/episodes/antonio-michael-downing","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/67f6cc8f0c09f66202906ee8/e/697cbaa05edeb3034fb704d4/media.mp3","summary":"My guest on this episode is Antonio Michael Downing. Antonio is the author of the memoir Saga Boy and the children’s book Stars in My Crown , and is the current host of CBC Radio’s book program The Next Chapter . He also writes and performs music as John Orpheus. His most recent book is the novel Black Cherokee , published in 2025 by Simon & Schuster Canada. Author Zalika Reid-Benta said that “Downing’s prose is both lyrical and controlled and weaves together a story that is, at once expansive and intimate, expertly blending the personal with the sweeping nature of the historical.”   Antonio and I talk about bringing his own perspective as an author to his work on The Next Chapter , about why he handwrites the drafts of his books, and about unexpectedly discovering a kindred creative spirit in Anne of Green Gables . This podcast is produced and hosted by Nathan Whitlock , in partnership with The Walrus . Music: \"simple-hearted thing\" by  Alex Lukashevsky . Used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"My guest on this episode is Antonio Michael Downing. Antonio is the author of the memoir Saga Boy and the children’s book Stars in My Crown , and is the c…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1611,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402/episodes/antonio-michael-downing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-happened-next-a-podcast-about-newish-books-6367402/antonio-michael-downing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}