MARISSA forbes
Official Website of a Writer, Teacher, Mother.
Fiction, Poetry, Thought.
Art By Emma Ginsberg
PUBLICATIONS
FULL LENGTH POETRY
Bridging The Gap: Poems & Ethos For Emitly Warren Roebling
Emily Warren Roebling stepped into the role of Chief Engineer de Facto to complete the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 1880s. This remarkable feat impacted the story of STEM with resilience and triumph. But it's the intersectionality of feminism, racism, and the role of women in society that etches the ethos of Emilty Roebling's life.
This poetry collection is filled with history, humor, sadness, and science. It builds on facts--intertwining stories from an era long gone but still ringing true today. Bridging the Gap is about the sacrifices women make in the face of motherhood, professional livelihood, marriage, and the will to make progress on all fronts. The story of Emily Roebling spans across these pages, but more importantly, these poems bridge the gap between the struggles and victories women continue to forge through every decade since. This collection also crosses into the construction of my own story.
This poetic project was completed through Community Literature Initiative in Spring 2022 and has been accepted for publication with Finishing Line Press. Presales begin October 2023, release in February 2024.
POETRY CHAPBOOK
Surviving Peter Pan
A NEVERLAND JOURNEY THROUGH HEALING AFTER NARCISSIST ABUSE
This collection is about the inhabitants (particularly women) of Neverland overcoming the trials of loving a narcissist (Peter Pan) and the tribulations that has on the female body and existence. By examining the bittersweetness of motherhood, womanhood, childhood, and the relationships between families, fantasies, and healing, this collection finds a way to not only reimagine the classic Peter Pan tale but a deep red ink stain of reclamation is branded upon the story. This collection holds your inner child in open palms while lighitng it on fire. It shines on your pain while sprinking a little fairy dust on your soul. The collection is so unexpected, you'll never look at growing up the same again.
This poetic project was completed through Community Literature Initiative as a TA in the Fall 2023 and has been accepted for publication with Beyond The Veil Press. Release is July 2023.
BIOGRAPAPHY
Marissa Forbes is a writer, teacher, and mother. She graduated from Pratt Institute in 2008 and between 2008-2011, wrote & directed three one-act philosophical comedies for Off-Broadway, published several poems & short stories in online and print literary journals, and co-founded Brooklyn REPUBLIC--an art and charity collective that still thrives. Then she became a mother.
After nearly a decade focusing solely on motherhood, teaching art & preschool, and working in various organizations in the nonprofit sector, she began writing again in 2020.
Marissa has since published nearly 20 pieces internationallyand was awarded an Author Fellowship from Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. She is the Managing Editor for Twenty Bellows Literary Magazine and a TA for the Community Literature Intiative.
Her full length collection "Bridging the Gap: Poems & Ethos for Emily Warren Roebling" will be available for presale in October 2023, her chapbook "Surviving Peter Pan" will be released in July 2023. Marissa lives in Denver Colorado with her two kids, cat, and dog. She continues to curate her life as she sees fit.
EDITOR/
CONTRIBUTOR
Edited by: James P. Stuart, Marissa Forbes, Asha Grebenik, and Michael Kreger
In this debut anthology, we have brought together more than forty literary voices, representative of the spirit and experience of Colorado. Through their words, we have reimagined the character and make-up of the Modern West. This is a collection free from stereotypes and expectations. Moreover, it is an equitable showcase, featuring both newcomers and established talent.
Featuring fiction, non-fiction, essay, poetry, and visual art from every corner of our home state, We are the West: A Colorado Anthology is an exciting introduction to the next generation of diverse storytelling and a continuance of a tradition that began thousands of years ago.
Contributors: Aaron M. Moe, Amy Wray Irish, Andy Mast, Ashley Howell Bunn , Ashley Lawrence, Austin Hawkins, Brice Maiurro, Carla Sciaky, Chiyo (Laurie Quinn), Claire Ibarra, Constance Moylan, Cynthia Burkhart, Dianna Vagianos Armentrout, Eleanor Perry-Smith, Erica Reid, Ernest Nitka, Gage Anderson, Heather Hein, Ingrid Wagner Walsh, Jessica Rigney, Jonathan Purdy, Julie Kim Shavin, Kaia Gallagher, Kierstin Bridger, Kika Dorsey, Lyndsie Conklin, Madison Gill, Marissa Forbes, Maz Bangs, Meghan DeJong, Meghan Wilbar, Morgan Blair, Patty Tomsky, Rachel Lee, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Sarah Reichert, Shae Lee, Theresa McLaren, Trystan Popish