Zalika Reid-Benta

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Zalika Reid-Benta
Born
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
OccupationAuthor
EducationUniversity of Toronto (BA)
Columbia University (MFA)
Notable works
  • Frying Plantain
  • River Mumma

Zalika Reid-Benta is a Canadian author.[1] Her debut novel River Mumma was a finalist for the 2024 Trillium Book Award[2] and her debut short story collection Frying Plantain won the 2019 Danuta Gleed Literary Award[3] and 2020 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.[4]

River Mumma is a magical realism novel inspired by Jamaican folklore. The main character, Alicia Gale, is a young Black woman having a quarter-life crisis while adventuring through the streets of Toronto, Ontario.[5] It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly[6] and was listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 by CBC Books.[7]

Frying Plantain is a collection of linked short stories centering on the coming of age of Kara Davis, a young Jamaican-Canadian girl growing up in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto.[8]

Early life and education

Reid-Benta grew up in Toronto.[9] She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in English and cinema studies and with a minor in Caribbean studies. She then received a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University with a concentration in fiction.[5]

In 2017 she attended the Writing Studio at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity and was a 2010 John Gardner Fiction Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.[5][3][10] She was mentored by writers Victor LaValle, George Elliott Clarke, Janice Galloway, and Olive Senior.[8]

Influences

Reid-Benta describes Toni Morrison as one of her literary heroes.[9] Reid-Benta has also described Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche as inspirations.[11] In an interview about River Mumma with Library Journal, Reid-Benta mentioned Nalo Hopkinson, Octavia Butler, and Cherie Dimaline as some of her favourite science fiction and fantasy writers.[12]

Accolades

Year Nominated work Award Category Result Ref.
2019 Frying Plantain Giller Prize Longlist [13]
Danuta Gleed Literary Award Winner [14]
2020 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize [15]
Toronto Book Awards Shortlist [16]
Trillium Book Awards English [17]
Forest of Reading Awards Evergreen Award [18][19]
2021 White Pine Award [20]
2024 River Mumma Trillium Book Awards English [2]

References

  1. Patrick, Ryan B. (July 9, 2019). "Why Zalika Reid-Benta wrote a short story collection that looks at growing up young and Black in Toronto". CBC Books.
  2. "Zalika Reid-Benta and Britta Badour among finalists for 2024 Trillium Book Awards". CBC Books. May 7, 2024.
  3. "Winners Announced for the 23rd Danuta Gleed Literary Award". The Writers' Union of Canada. June 24, 2020. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  4. "Why Zalika Reid-Benta wrote a short story collection that looks at growing up young and black in Toronto Social Sharing". The Caribbean Camera. July 12, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  5. van Koeverden, Jane (July 20, 2021). "Zalika Reid-Benta writing novel titled River Mumma, to be published in 2023". CBC Books. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  6. "River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta". Publishers Weekly. November 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  7. "The best Canadian fiction of 2023". CBC Books. December 5, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2025-02-19.
  8. Dundas, Deborah (2019-06-07). "Zalika Reid-Benta's debut book puts midtown Toronto on the page at last". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  9. "Scotiabank Giller Prize Spotlight: Zalika Reid-Benta". Scotiabank Giller Prize. 2019-09-06. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07.
  10. "An Evening with Author Zalika Reid-Benta". New College. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  11. Barnier, Vannessa (2019-04-01). "Interview: Zalika Reid-Benta on Banff, Process and Vulnerability". Queen Mob's Tea House. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19.
  12. Chadwick, Kristi (November 7, 2023). "Talking with 'River Mumma' Author Zalika Reid-Benta | SFF Q&A". Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  13. Dundas, Deborah (2019-09-03). "Margaret Atwood, Andre Alexis among 12 authors up for $100,000 Giller book prize". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  14. Porter, Ryan (2020-06-25). "Zalika Reid-Benta wins $10,000 Danuta Gleed Literary Award". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  15. Carter, Sue (2020-06-25). "Jesse Thistle, Zalika Reid-Benta, J.R. McConvey win Kobo's Emerging Writer Prizes". Quill and Quire. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  16. "Desmond Cole & Zalika Reid-Benta among finalists for $10K Toronto Book Award". CBC Books. November 2, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  17. van Koeverden, Jane (May 12, 2020). "Seth, Téa Mutonji & Zalika Reid-Benta among finalists for $20K Trillium Book Award for Ontario books". CBC Books. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  18. "Zalika Reid-Benta's Flying Plantain wins two major literary prizes". The Caribbean Camera. 2020-07-12. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  19. Bock, Brianna (2020-07-01). "Q&A with Zalika Reid-Benta". Victoria Festival of Authors. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  20. "Here are the 2021 White Pine Award finalists: 10 great Canadian books for readers in Grades 9-12". CBC Books. October 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-15.