Join author and U of T alumna Zalika Reid-Benta, for an engaging evening as she discusses her debut novel River Mumma and award-winning story collection Frying Plantain.
Join author Zalika Reid-Benta, alumna of Victoria College and Caribbean Studies, University of Toronto, for An Evening with Author Zalika Reid-Benta as she discusses her debut novel River Mumma and award-winning story collection Frying Plantain, followed by a moderated discussion on Thursday, February 27, 2025, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the William Doo Auditorium, New College.
ASL provided
Refreshments provided
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About River Mumma & Frying Plantain
River Mumma - River Mumma is a powerful portrayal of diasporic identities and a vital examination into ancestral ties. It is a homage to Jamaican storytelling by one of the most invigorating voices in Canadian literature.
Frying Plantain - A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, Frying Plantain shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and teasing play can turn to something much darker.
Meet author Zalika Reid-Benta
Zalika Reid-Benta is a Canadian author. Her debut novel River Mumma was shortlisted for the 2024 Trillium Book Award and was listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 on numerous platforms, including CBC Books, Kobo Books, and The Walrus. River Mumma received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist Magazine and Foreword Reviews. It is an Amazon Books Editors’ Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy and was the October 2023 pick for the CityLine book club. Reid-Benta’s debut story collection, Frying Plantain, won the 2020 Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the 2020 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. Frying Plantain was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award, the Trillium Book Award, the White Pine Award and the Evergreen Award. Zalika was the 2023 and 2019 winner of the ByBlacks People’s Choice Award for Best Author, and her picture book, The Twelve Days of Jamaican Christmas will be published in 2026.
This event is in collaboration New College; Centre of Caribbean Studies; Victoria College; Women and Gender Studies, PEN Canada and A Different Booklist.
Have questions about this event?
Contact New College Alumni Office at alumni.newcollege@utoronto.ca
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