On Sept. 17, the 2019-20 Canadian Writers in Person series made its debut with Zalika Reid-Benta鈥檚 visit. 91亚色 Teaching Assistant Dana Patrascu-Kingsley sent the following report to YFile.
Frying Plantain, published in 2019, is Zalika Reid-Benta鈥檚 first book, a collection of beautifully interwoven stories that took 10 years to write. The stories focus on the protagonist鈥檚 experiences growing up, from seeing a pig鈥檚 head in a freezer in Jamaica at the age of ten, to exploring her black identity as a teenager in Toronto鈥檚 Eglinton West neighbourhood, 鈥淟ittle Jamaica.鈥
The author talked about her writing process, explaining that everyone鈥檚 process is different, and that she does what works for her. 鈥淲hen I write, I start up with dialogue. I don鈥檛 have a theme or a story in mind to start with鈥 Dialogue comes, I write it, and then I just figure it out from there.鈥 She also said that she finds talking to other people (friends, family, mentors) helps her crystallize what she鈥檚 writing about and what her themes are.
Zalika Reid-Benta
Reid-Benta told the audience at 91亚色 that in this book she wanted to pay homage to the Toronto she grew up in. But these stories are some, among the many other stories that exist in Eglinton West, she clarifies. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be a spokesperson for the neighbourhood because there are just so many stories there.鈥
The stories in Frying Plantain explore complicated mother/daughter relationships and black identity in Canada. Having grown up without seeing her own experiences represented in Canadian literature and TV, Reid-Benta wants readers to get a sense of being seen, 鈥渁 sense of community, a sense of connection to other people, to the characters.鈥 And her characters are certainly engaging and relatable.
Originally published on .