Bushra Rehman is a Pakistani Muslim-American novelist best known for her Lambda Literary Award-nominated[1] novel Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion and short story Corona.[2]
Bushra Rehman | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York City |
| Language | English |
| Genre | contemporary |
| Years active | 2018-now |
| Notable works | Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion |
| Website | |
| bushrarehman | |
Early life
Bushra Rehman grew up in Corona,[3] Queens close to one of the first Sunni masjids in NYC.[2] She says the first book that made an impact on her is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.[4]
She originally began her writing career as a poet and has worked as a poetry teacher.[3]
Rehman identifies as queer.[3]
Selected works
In 2002, Rehma co-created the anthology Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism with Daisy Hernández, as a response to the hate crimes against people of color she and her co-creator witnessed in NYC post 9/11.[5]
Rehman's novel Roses in the Mouth, is loosely based on her own experience growing up in Corona, Queens in the 1980s and learning more about her own queer identity.[3][4] Inspired by the strength of the friendships with other girls she had growng up, she set out writing Roses in the Mouth to celebrate those friendships.[5] Rehman says grief is an important theme in the novel.[5] The New Yorker named it one of the best books of 2022.[6] It was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the category Bisexual Fiction.[1]
Complete Bibliography
Anthologies:
Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism (Seal Press, 2002)[7]
Novels:
Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion (Flatiron, 2022)[8]
Poetry:
Marianna's Beauty Salon (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2018)[9]
Short stories
Corona (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2013)[10]