By Susan Horwich
Come join us for our next WordSprouts event in partnership with the Old Stone House, featuring novelist David Forbes, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus in the Urban Education Doctoral Program, CUNY Graduate Center.
David will read from his newly published novel, Broken Land Dreams (Brooklyn Codgers-Amazon KDP, January 19, 2026). Following the reading, David will be in discussion with attendees and be available for Q&A.
WordSprouts is a long-running PSFC author series featuring Coop authors sharing their work and their creative process.
OUR NEXT EVENT
Author: David Forbes (PSFC member)
Genre: Novel – magical realism, literary fiction
When: Wednesday May 27, 2026 – doors open at 6:45 p.m.; the event begins at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Format: In-person only
RSVP here >
Reviews of Broken Land Dreams
The journalist Eleanor J. Bader wrote for The Indypendent, a review (February 25, 2026) titled, “‘Broken Land Dreams’ Combines Magical Realism with Satire,” with the lede, “A retired high school social worker and disillusioned Brooklynite joins forces with former students and peers to resist the Right in David Forbes’ piece of speculative fiction.”
The journalist Ava Sharahy wrote for BK Reader, a review (February 23, 2026) titled, A Surreal Brooklyn Story That Covers Politics, Loneliness And Superheroes: “In his indie fiction debut, David Forbes delves into today’s political turmoil through the lens of magical realism through his book Broken Land Dreams.”
David Forbes is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Urban Education Doctoral Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. He taught school counseling in the School of Education at Brooklyn College/CUNY for 19 years. He studied psychology and counseling at the University of Chicago, the New School, and University of California, Berkeley. David teaches and writes on critical and integral approaches to mindfulness within neoliberal society and education and has consulted with the New York City Public Schools on developing social mindfulness programs. He wrote Mindfulness and Its Discontents: Education, Self, and Social Transformation (2019), Boyz 2 Buddhas: Counseling Urban High School Male Athletes in the Zone (2004), and False Fixes: The Cultural Politics of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Relations (1994). He and Ron Purser co-edited the Handbook of Mindfulness: Culture, Context, and Social Engagement (2016).
David’s favorite Coop item is aged gouda. David says, “especially when it’s cut with just two sides of the rind—ahh.”
David has been a Coop member since the early 1980s. Now retired, he recalls his favorite work shift, “I best liked being down in the basement, bagging raisins, nuts et al. We got to play our own CDs—remember them?” David played mandolin with a bluegrass group at a Coop event back in the ’80s. David imagines, “My yet to be designed PSFC tee shirt: Shifts happen.”
David’s presentation will be followed by drinks and snacks, courtesy of the Coop. David will be available to sign copies of Broken Land Dreams, and he will have copies available to sell. The book can be ordered from any bookstore (distributed by IngramSparks), and online booksellers including amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and strandbooks.com.
WordSprouts Mission Statement: to showcase local published writers who are members of the Coop and cultivate friendships between Coop members and our larger community.
To get updates about WordSprouts events, check the Linewaiters’ Gazette, sign up for the mailing list at psfcwordsprouts@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @foodcoopwordsprouts.
The WordSprouts committee includes committee leader Sarah Schenck and committee members Peter Brosius, Susan Horwich, Ruthie Nachmany, Tamar Nachmany and Rosanna Staffa.