South Asian queer activist Bushra Rehman visits City of Asylum for the first time in celebration of her highly anticipated debut novel, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion. For readers of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and My Brilliant Friend, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion is an unforgettable story about female friendship and queer love in a Muslim-American community.

This program features a reading by Bushra, a conversation moderated by Pittsburgh-based artist Sara Tang, an audience Q&A, and a book signing. You can purchase your own copy of Bushra’s book, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion, at City of Asylum Bookstore.

“I was captivated by the premise of Bushra’s novel, which explores a young woman’s experience coming-of-age and grappling with her heritage, faith, and queer identity. I think anyone who has experienced the challenge of balancing all the different and sometimes conflicting pieces of themselves will find ways to connect with this story.” - Kelsey Ford, Director of Programs

Bushra Rehman’s collection of stories, Corona, a dark comedy about being Muslim-American, was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its favorite books about NYC. Her book of poems, Marianna’s Beauty Salon, was described by Joseph O. Legaspi as a “love poem for Muslim girls, Queens, and immigrants making sense of their foreign home—and surviving.” She coedited the anthology Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism, which was chosen as one of Ms. Magazine's "100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time.” Her newest novel, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion, centers on friendship and queer desire among young Pakistani women.

Sara Tang is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and creative facilitator who has called many places home, including Pittsburgh. Tang is the founder of the creative collaborations community Sip n’ Sketch Pittsburgh. She has worked with those who have been affected by cancer and other life experiences in creative therapy excavation workshops.

Tang’s purpose in all her creative gatherings, works, performances, and endeavors, is to draw other into a deeper empathic encounter with themselves, with others, and with the mystery of humanity and existence. Her pieces often explore the strange and beautiful, especially as related to multiracial and multicultural identity, generational story excavation, mental health, and the healing of health conditions.

Reading Series: Female Friendship & Queer Love with Author Bushra Rehman