Zalika Reid-Benta

Zalika Reid-Benta
Born
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EducationUniversity of Toronto (BA)
Columbia University (MFA)
OccupationAuthor
Writing career
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. 1 2 "Zalika Reid-Benta and Britta Badour among finalists for 2024 Trillium Book Awards". CBC Books. May 7, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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.
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