Bushra Rehman is a Pakistani-American writer and poet best known for her novels Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion and Corona. Her works are infused with humor and wisdom, exploring the experience of being a woman of color, a feminist, and an American Muslim. Learn more about her journey and works on queens1.one.
Early Years
Bushra Rehman grew up in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, near one of New York’s first Sunni mosques. The first book to leave a deep impression on her was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a semi-autobiographical novel by Betty Smith.
In the late 1990s, Rehman became a key figure in the local arts scene, performing her poetry at eateries, theaters, and universities. In 2002, along with writer Daisy Hernandez, Bushra published Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism, an anthology on feminism. The book was a response to hate crimes perpetrated against people of color, particularly Muslims, following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The anthology received significant acclaim.
The book briefly highlights how feminist women of color sparked socially significant activist movements such as Black Lives Matter. Additionally, young writers in the anthology discuss the power of community, racial freedom, boundaries, and differences. This collection resonated with advocates for women’s rights and equality across races.
First Novel
In 2013, Rehman published Corona, a lyrical, edgy, and humorous coming-of-age story about Razia Mirza, a Pakistani Muslim growing up in Corona. The novel follows Razia’s journey from childhood adventures to the music scene. Her parents give her an ultimatum: come home and marry or never return. Determined, Razia refuses to let anyone block her quest for freedom.
Through each story, readers learn more about Razia’s past, which she’s escaping and which propels her forward, desperate never to return home. Razia’s adventures are depicted as interwoven short stories set in the late 1980s. She hitchhikes in Florida, works as a guide in a Puritan colony in Massachusetts, lives with drunken Italian anarchists, and falls in love with unusual people and places.
The dialogues are emotionally charged, and the characters are vividly unique. The plot unfolds with each new page, yet Razia’s life is never limited to the text; some significant events are left to the reader’s imagination, adding mystery. Poets & Writers named Corona the best debut fiction of 2013, and the book has become essential reading in Asian American studies across the U.S.
First Poetry Collection
In 2018, Rehman published her debut poetry collection, Marianna’s Beauty Salon. This collection contains bold and humorous poems about the American dream and the paths to achieving it. The work is dedicated to Muslim immigrant women adapting to life in their new home.
Most Famous Book
Rehman’s 2022 novel Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion garnered widespread popularity. It draws heavily on the author’s own experiences, particularly her childhood in Corona in the 1980s when she discovered her queer identity. The term “queer” refers to those who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender, encompassing LGBTQ+ individuals and those who do not conform to conventional sexual orientations.
Inspired by the strength of her friendships with the girls she grew up with, Rehman decided to write Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion. The New Yorker named it one of the best books of 2022, and it was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the Bisexual Fiction category.
This novel is full of vivid anecdotes. The protagonist, Razia Mirza, is a young Pakistani-American growing up in Corona, the same character from Corona. Her story explores love within the Muslim community and understanding her own identity. After meeting Angela at school, Razia’s self-perception shifts further. The novel illuminates deep friendships and complex family dynamics.
Other Activities
Rehman is not only a writer and poet but also a lecturer. In her talks, she often shares her experiences as a Pakistani woman from Queens who turned silence into candid stories in her books. She has also discussed the experience of writing about influential American Muslim women who defied social norms, fighting to be themselves despite cultural pressures at home and racism outside it.
Her readings and lectures often include writing workshops where students learn literary techniques that help them engage memory and overcome the silence that stifles creative life.