Zalika Reid-Benta

Zalika Reid-Benta is a Canadian writer, whose debut short story collection "Frying Plantain" has been nominated and won numerous awards. 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, Ontario.
Early life.
Reid-Benta grew up in Toronto. 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. Even as a child she knew she wanted to write.
She graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in English and Cinema studies and with a minor in Caribbean Studies. She then received an MFA from Columbia University with a concentration in fiction. 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. Prior to the publication of her book, she was mentored by writers Victor LaValle, George Elliott Clarke, Janice Galloway and Olive Senior.
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.”
When interviewed by Vanessa 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.
Currently Reid-Benta is writing a fantasy novel for young adults that is inspired by Jamaican folklore and spirituality.
Accolades.
Reid-Benta has received several major awards for her work, including:
"Frying Plantain" was shortlisted for the 2020 Toronto Book Awards. and for the 2020 Trillium Awards. It was a longlisted nominee for the 2019 Scotia Bank Giller Prize.and it was nominated for the 2021 White Pine Award.