In Little Jamaica

When I was young, I tended to favour my red-headed and freckle-faced Cabbage Patch Doll, relegating my black one to the bottom of the toy heap. When not playing with dolls, I could be found immersed in Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley Twins novels — books that showcased girls of the blond and blue-­eyed variety. Words such as “representation” and “inclusion” were not part of my vocabulary then, and that token black Cabbage Patch Kid served only to remind me that my skin colour was different than my peers’. Now, as an adult, I see myself in protagonists more and more, as publishers and readers alike reach beyond the perfunctory check mark of diversity and embrace stories by and about people of colour.

Frying Plantain, Zalika Reid-­Benta’s debut collection, is one such work. Set in the Eglinton...