#queeringconstellations
#queeringconstellations
Queering Constellations is an interactive memoir of a queer Hindu Buddhist immigrant told through letters, poetry, art, and stories. Spanning Raja's unique experiences that touch on universal themes of love, loss, pleasure, and self-acceptance, this book engages the reader to reflect on their own journey through a unique constellation of how to read the book: coloring the art within and engaging the writing prompts, breaking the barrier between book and reader.
Not your traditional narrative memoir, Raja's story is a groundbreaking text that ranges from baking lessons to heartbreaking coming out stories and vulnerable letters bridging life and death. This book invites us to imagine worlds beyond our own and appreciate the many stars lighting our path to liberation.
Join this journey.
Share your responses to the prompts and coloring pages in the book and tag #queeringconstellations on your social media posts!
Special Content
Check out free downloads and resources to supplement your experience with the book!
Download your own Constellation Map by clicking on the image. Paper size: 8x12 inches
Book club discussion questions and other resources coming soon!
Reviews
Queering Constellations is more than a memoir — it is a one-of-a-kind reading experience. Using heartfelt words, personal anecdotes, and unique mediums, Raja opens their heart and invites the reader to examine what it means to share our stories. Raja’s writing is powerful, positive, and inspiring, and this stunning debut offers an interactive journey that reminds us that our mere existence, and that of our communities and ancestors, is the greatest gift in the world.
Priya Arora, host of the “Queering Desi” Podcast
"Queering Constellations" is one of the most unique memoirs I have ever read. The writing, stories, and poetry will expand your worldview. This carefully constructed interactive memoir makes you laugh, smile, and remember how truly divine our journeys are.
Shanita Hubbard, Author of the award-winning book Ride-Or-Die: A Feminist Manifesto For The Well-Being of Black Women.
In Queering Constellations, Raja Gopal Bhattar provides multiple gifts for their readers. Raja opens up about their own journey to radical self-acceptance and knowledge, and they also provide readers with prompts and ideas to reflect on their own path. It’s a vulnerable and authentic offering that will especially resonate with young South Asians grappling with the complexities of identity, ancestry and community in today’s world.
Deepa Iyer, writer, Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection and We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future.
Raja’s book is a deeply intimate yet playful and compassionate memoir, one that immediately captured my heart and mind. You feel like you’re sitting with a dear friend, who takes your hand and welcomes you into a shared sacred space of beauty, divinity and power. It is not just Raja's story told to you in a linear way, it is truly a conversation between them and you, the reader. This book is a gift for anyone who wants to feel less alone in our fractured world. A reminder that that humanity we share with each other can be delightful, playful, and magical - and worth fighting for."
Madhuri Shekar, Playwright & Screenwriter of “A Nice Indian Boy”
Dr. Bhattar beautifully and skillfully invites us not only into their heart, but into our own hearts as well. Each page is simultaneously a memory and a guide through love, pain, and self-expression. A must-read!
Brahmacharini Shweta Chaitanya, Georgetown University
As we continue to feel more and more isolated and confined to the world as depicted on our screens, Queering Constellations invites us to seek out real community in the universal experiences of processing, healing, and building spaces that affirm our shared humanity. Dr Raja’s storytelling caresses the deepest darkest places inside of us and then inspires us to light up the sky with unabashed truth.
Daryl Stephens, Actor, Writer & Producer
Queering Constellations in the Community
Raja is on a panel with other queer spiritual authors
Panel Title: Connecting Queer Stories with Spirituality and Healing
