Your Uncle Josh has been an uncle since the age of 9. Poetry began at 12 out of the tragic loss of his young nephew, but beyond words and rhyme - poetry became more of a world view for YUJ.
Life is a poem lived.
YUJ is also known as Joshua Kobak, an actor, singer, aerialist, poet, illustrator and conceptualist who grew up in Medina Ohio. Primed for expression due to the depths of loss, YUJ eventually made his way to Cincinnati where he attended CCM, a college-conservatory for Musical Theatre. It was there in which his performance skills were honed, and his masterful ability to connect inner and outer worlds artistically was practiced, culminating in his first theatrical invention - The Colors of Love, which combined his songwriting, poetry and story telling concepts into a fully fledged production at The Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. In the years that followed, YUJ moved to New York City, and co-created another show, Subway Train - Beat Poetry Musical, about life underground in NYC. at the same time recording and releasing two albums of original music with his band, SWIM. In addition to creating his own shows, he also performed on Broadway in over 22 roles (as an original cast member in 3 of them) Rent, Tarzan, American Idiot, Spiderman - Turn Off The Dark, and in the immersive experience Fuerza Bruta. Sadly, in 2011 while performing as the aerial Spiderman on Broadway, YUJ sustained several injuries that put a halt to his professional performing career. It was during this challenging time that Joshua discovered the purpose and importance of becoming Your Uncle Josh; as a means to heal and move on personally, while passing along his newest life lessons to his ‘nieces and nephews’ all over the world with the hope that others will benefit from his journey through the things he wasn't told, but has found to be true.
YUJ’s work focuses on the beloved, yet too often ignored, golden rules we all grew up with, exploring love, kindness, compassion, generosity, and karma as some of his prominent themes.