Hello! I am Rachel Jamison Webster. I have taught creative writing at Northwestern University for 20 years and have developed community writing workshops through the Urban League, After School Matters, and Gallery 37. I have also facilitated end-of-life care, and have studied meditation for more than 20 years, completing trainings in meditation and energy healing at Invision Chicago. I love to help people to heal old stories, and inspire them to write the work that only they can write. My students have gone on to publish successful books, and to fulfill themselves with creative careers and multi-media projects. (Some of these amazing students include the comedian Ziwe, and the authors Tara Stringfellow, Zining Mok, Liv Behr, and Aozora Brockman. I highly recommend their work!) While guiding students and clients in their creative process, I continue to experiment, learn, and meet my own goals as a writer. I have published five books, including Mary is a River, a finalist for the National Poetry Series, and Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family, which was chosen as a Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker, and a notable book by The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly and others. I am currently writing a book about my female ancestors and the creative processes special to women. I publish essays, poems, and stories in outlets like Poetry, Lit Hub, The Paris Review, and The Yale Review. My practice as a writer informs my teaching, and I love sharing my ideas for fulfilling our full creative potential.