I’m Rachel Jamison Webster.
I have taught creative writing at Northwestern University for 17 years and have developed community writing workshops through the Urban League, After School Matters, and Gallery 37. I love to inspire people 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. While guiding students and clients in their creative processes, 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 notable book of 2023 by The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Publisher’s Weekly. I have more books underway! And I frequently 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, as I share my ideas and methods for fulfilling creative potential.
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.