Bushra Rehman Speaking Fee: $10,000 and Below

Bushra Rehman is a Pakistani-American writer, poet, and cultural activist whose work explores the intersections of identity, faith, and belonging. Raised in the diverse neighborhood of Corona, Queens, she grew up near one of New York City's first Sunni mosques, an environment that deeply influenced her storytelling. Her early exposure to literature, particularly Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, sparked a lifelong passion for writing. In the late 1990s, Rehman became an integral figure in the South Asian American arts scene, performing poetry in cafes, theaters, and universities, and co-founding the South Asian Women's Creative Collective. Rehman's literary journey includes co-editing the influential anthology Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism with Daisy Hernández. Published in 2002, the book was a response to post-9/11 hate crimes and has been recognized by Ms. Magazine as one of the "100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time." Her debut novel, Corona (2013), is a dark comedy about a Muslim American woman navigating life in Queens. The novel was selected by the New York Public Library as one of its favorite books about NYC and is taught in Asian American studies programs across the country. In 2018, she released her first poetry collection, Marianna’s Beauty Salon, which delves into themes of immigration, identity, and survival. Her most recent work, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion (2022), is a coming-of-age novel set in 1980s Queens. The story follows Razia Mirza, a young Pakistani-American woman discovering her queer identity amidst the complexities of family and faith. The novel has been lauded by The New York Times and The New Yorker as a Best Book of 2022 and was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual Fiction. Rehman describes the book as a tribute to the deep friendships and community bonds she experienced growing up. Beyond her writing, Rehman is committed to fostering literary communities. She created and facilitates the writing workshop series Two Truths and a Lie: Writing Memoir and Autobiographical Fiction, aimed at supporting queer BIPOC writers and allies. With over two decades of experience as a teaching artist, she has collaborated with organizations such as Teachers & Writers Collaborative, Urban Word NYC, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Rehman continues to inspire through her storytelling, academic contributions, and dedication to nurturing the voices of marginalized communities.