Zalika Reid-Benta
BornToronto, Ontario, Canada
OccupationAuthor
Alma materUniversity of Toronto, Columbia University
Notable worksFrying Plantain, River Mumma

Zalika Reid-Benta is a Canadian writer.[1] Her debut novel River Mumma has been described as a "a rich and sometimes even dizzying brew that marks the emergence of a powerful new voice" in a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[2] It was the October 2023 pick for the CityLine book club[3] and has been listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 on numerous platforms, including CBC Books.[4] The novel is a "magical realist story" 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]

Reid-Benta's debut short story collection Frying Plantain was nominated and won numerous awards.[6] The book 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 Eglinton West neighbourhood of Toronto.[7]

Early life

Reid-Benta grew up in Toronto.[8] As a child she enjoyed books written by Judy Blume and movies like Now and Then and My Girl, but she didn't see herself represented in these stories.[8] Even as a child she knew she wanted to write.[9]

She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in English and Cinema studies and with a minor in Caribbean Studies.[5] She then received an MFA from Columbia University with a concentration in fiction.[5] In 2017 she attended the Writers Studio at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity and was a 2019 John Gardener Fiction Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference.[5] Prior to the publication of her book, she was mentored by writers Victor LaValle, George Elliott Clarke, Janice Galloway and Olive Senior.[7]

Inspirations

In a Scotiabank Giller Prize Spotlight interview, Reid-Benta describes Toni Morrison as being one of her literary heroes and mentions that “reading what she does with language, definitely motivates me to write the best way I can.”[8]

When interviewed by Vannessa Barnier, Reid-Benta also describes that Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche were inspirations.[10]

In an interview for River Mumma with the Library Journal, Reid-Benta mentions Nalo Hopkinson, Octavia Butler and Cherie Dimaline as inspirations and some of her favourite writers in science fiction and fantasy.[11]

Accolades

Reid-Benta has received several major awards for her work, including:

Frying Plantain was shortlisted for the 2020 Toronto Book Awards.[15] and for the 2020 Trillium Awards.[16] It was a longlisted nominee for the 2019 Scotia Bank Giller Prize.[8] and it was nominated for the 2021 White Pine Award.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Ryan B. Patrick, "Why Zalika Reid-Benta wrote a short story collection that looks at growing up young and black in Toronto". CBC Books, July 9, 2019.
  2. ↑ "River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta". www.publishersweekly.com. November 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  3. ↑ Juradinho, Cassandra (2019-04-01). "Everything You Need To Know About The Cityline Book Club". Cityline. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  4. ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-best-canadian-fiction-of-2023-1.7044119
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Zalika Reid-Benta writing novel titled River Mumma, to be published in 2023". CBC Books. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  6. ↑ "Why Zalika Reid-Benta wrote a short story collection that looks at growing up young and black in Toronto Social Sharing". July 12, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Deborah Dundas, "Zalika Reid-Benta's debut book puts midtown Toronto on the page at last". Toronto Star, June 7, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Scotiabank Giller Prize Spotlight: Zalika Reid-Benta". Scotiabank Giller Prize. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  9. ↑ "Zalika Reid-Benta". New College - University of Toronto. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  10. ↑ "Interview: Zalika Reid-Benta on Banff, Process and Vulnerability". Queen Mob's Tea House. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  11. ↑ Chadwick, Kristi. "Talking with 'River Mumma' Author Zalika Reid-Benta | SFF Q&A". Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  12. ↑ "Zalika Reid-Benta wins the ByBlacks 2019 People's Choice Award for Authors!". Transatlantic Agency. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  13. ↑ "Danuta Gleed Literary Award". The Writers' Union of Canada. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  14. ↑ "2020 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Winners". YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Desmond Cole & Zalika Reid-Benta among finalists for $10K Toronto Book Award | CBC Books". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  16. ↑ "Seth, Téa Mutonji & Zalika Reid-Benta among finalists for $20K Trillium Book Award for Ontario books | CBC Books". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  17. ↑ "Here are the 2021 White Pine Award finalists: 10 great Canadian books for readers in Grades 9-12 | CBC Books". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
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