Gryphons Read 2025: "Frying Plantain" by Zalika Reid-Benta

Welcome to Gryphons Read!

Gryphons Read is a tradition at the University of Guelph, started by the well-known and well-loved author and U of G faculty, Lawrence Hill. Each year, a book that explores diverse identities and lived experiences, and is authored by a Canadian writer, is selected to be shared and read by the campus community. Gryphons Read hosts the author on campus for a few days in late September where they meet with students, staff, faculty, and community members in various classes and public events.

The 2025 Gryphons Read featured book is Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta. Zalika is a Toronto-based writer whose work explores identity, belonging, intergenerational relationships, and the Black diaspora, with a particular focus on Jamaican Canadian experiences. A graduate of the University of Toronto and Columbia University’s MFA program, she has been recognized as an important new voice in Canadian literature.

Her debut short story collection, Frying Plantain, published in 2019 is a powerful coming-of-age portrait of Kara, a young Black girl navigating life between two cultures in Toronto’s Eglinton West neighborhood. Praised for its vivid storytelling and emotional insight, Frying Plantain won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, and was longlisted for the Giller Prize. 

Her follow up novel River Mumma was a finalist for the 2024 Trillium Book Award and was listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 on numerous platforms, including CBC Books. Zalika Reid-Benta has been celebrated for her fresh perspective and richly textured narratives that resonate with readers of all backgrounds.

Ways to Get Involved in Gryphons Read:

• Pick up a free copy of Frying Plantain September 3 or 4, 11 A.M. - 1 P.M. (while supplies last) at the Gryphons Read Tent by Raithby House in Branion Plaza. Bring your U of G ID card.
• Students, would you like a chance to join us for an intimate dinner and facilitated discussion with Zalika Reid-Benta on Monday, September 22, 5 - 7:30 P.M.? Information on how to sign up to participate in this limited event will be sent to students who register for Gryphons Read at the tent.
• Come meet the author, in conversation with Lawrence Hill, on Tuesday, September 23, at 7 P.M. in the McLaughlin Library Whitelaw Room 246. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Register for this public event!

Gryphons Read is made possible by generous funding from the Office of the Provost, and with support from the College of Arts, the Library, and the Experiential Learning Hub.

Questions about the Gryphons Read program can be directed to gryphonsread@uoguelph.ca.

One Book. One Campus. One Community

Happy reading!