Josh Jacobs
Program Co-Director, Leaders for Global Operations program, MIT
Biography
Josh Jacobs grew up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Amherst
College with a BA in English in 1991. He earned a PhD in English at
Rutgers in 1997 for his study of Adrienne Rich’s poetic ethics through
the lens of philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, studying with Alicia
Ostriker. After teaching at Rutgers and publishing several works of
literary criticism, he transitioned to academic administration roles,
first at Harvard and since 2003 at MIT, where he helped lead several
international collaboration programs with British and Portuguese
institutions. Currently he is the Program Co-Director of the MIT
Leaders for Global Operations program, a dual-degree MBA and
Engineering master’s program offered by MIT Sloan, MIT School of
Engineering and industrial partners. He coordinates the program’s
collaboration with international partner universities, manages the
program’s relationships with 20+ global industry partners, and leads
alumni engagement.
In 2015 Josh returned to active study and writing of poetry. He won
the 2023 Common Ground Review Poetry Contest, selected by Oliver de la
Paz. His poetry and translations also appear in Cider Press Review,
International Review, Pangyrus, and the anthology Had I a Dove:
Appalachian Poets on the Helene Flood (Redhawk, 2025). He was
selected as a contributor to the 2024 Yetzirah Poetry Conference.
Josh’s first chapbook, The Bones We Nurse Inside, will be published
by Finishing Line Press in 2027.
What is the relationship between Judaism and/or Jewish culture and your poetry?
I often bring Jewish themes and histories into my poetry as a context for exploring grief and mourning, my family history, and the October 7 attacks. I also write poetry of Midrash and am grateful for the Yetzirah course on this theme led by Alicia Ostriker in 2024.
Links to Sample Works
Common Ground Review, “Tree Streets”
Pangyrus, “I See Björk in the Woods”
Cider Press Review, “Looking for Otters”
Stone Circle Review, “Rounds”
