I’m Rachel Jamison Webster
I have published five books, including Mary is a River, a finalist for the National Poetry Series written in the voice of Mary Magdalene, and Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family. This book of ancestral nonfiction was chosen as a Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker, and an Editor’s Pick by The New York Times. I am currently finishing a book about my female ancestors and the creative processes specific to women. I have taught creative writing at Northwestern University for 20 years and have developed writing workshops through Ancestral Medicine and other organizations. I have also meditated for more than 20 years, with a special focus on psychic meditation, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and ancestral healing. These practices of writing and meditation combine in my teaching. I love to share my methods for fulfilling our creative potential. My students have gone on to publish successful books, and to fulfill themselves with creative careers.
My Approach
Cultivating a meditative writing practice allows us to access new material, to stay in flow as creative people, and to encounter ourselves on the page with openness. Accessing this space of non-judgement helps us to expand and clarify our writing, release our limitations, and heal our lives. I combine creative writing prompts with suggestions for reading. Every one of my courses and consultations honors the intellectual side of writing while making space for the intuitive, often mystical process that leads to inspiration.