Jessica Bacal
Writer and educator
Jessica Bacal is a writer and educator.
Her books are Mistakes I Made at Work (2014), The Rejection That Changed My Life (2021), and the forthcoming Pedagogies of Possibility (2027).
She directs Reflective Practices at Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her bachelor's degree is from Carleton College. She also received an MS.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education, an MFA in writing from Hunter College, and an EdD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Contact: jbacal@smith.edu · @jessica_bacal
Books
- Pedagogies of Possibility: Supporting Undergraduates to Imagine and Build Futures of Their Own MakingForthcoming from West Virginia University Press, 2027
- The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at WorkPlume, 2021
- Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It WrongPlume, 2014
Selected writing
- Releasing My Daughter from her Pandemic Pod is BittersweetMutha Magazine · June 30, 2021
- On Dealing with Literary Rejection: The Importance of Letting Go and Moving OnLit Hub · April 9, 2021
- Yes, you can build support networks in the pandemic. Here's how to start.The Washington Post · April 6, 2021
- Six Ways to Manage Job Uncertainty, Ambiguity, and DisruptionThe Boston Globe Magazine · April 19, 2021
- First Generation College Students on Graduating Into a PandemicColorlines · June 2, 2021
- Are You a Leader? How We Learned to Stop AskingTheory Into Practice · 2015
- Teaching Students to Lean InInside Higher Ed · March 12, 2013
Selected press
- The Upside of Professional RejectionThe Atlantic · January 22, 2026
- Rejection As A Tool For Empowerment: “Career Paths Can Zigzag”Ms. Magazine · May 3, 2021
- ReviewPublishers Weekly · April 2021
- ReviewKirkus Reviews · April 2021
- 5 ways to learn from rejection and use it to your advantageGood Morning America · May 11, 2021
- The Rejection That Changed My LifeZibby Events · May 11, 2021
- The Rejection That Changed My Life: Book BiteThe Next Big Idea Club · May 10, 2021
- In 'Mistakes I Made At Work,' Women At The Top Talk Openly About MisstepsForbes · May 6, 2014
- The Shortlist: Women at WorkThe New York Times · May 16, 2014
- Mistakes I Made at Work (Full Event)92nd Street Y · May 13, 2014