BENJAMIN BANNEKER AND US:
Eleven Generations of an American Family
Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family was hailed as a Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker, and called “excellent and thought-provoking” by the New York Times. The book traces Rachel’s ancestry to the sister of Benjamin Banneker and becomes a collaborative conversation with fellow descendants about race, justice, and American history.
Rachel Jamison Webster
Rachel Jamison Webster is a writer, poet, and educator. She lives in Evanston, Illinois, where she is a Professor in the English Department of Northwestern University. In addition to Benjamin Banneker and Us, Rachel has published four books of poetry and hybrid writing, including Mary is a River, which was a finalist for the National Poetry Series. Her most recent book of eco-poetics, The Sea Came Up & Drowned, has been adapted into a choral opera by the composer Nick Cline and will be performed and recorded by Donald Nally’s Grammy winning ensemble, The Crossing, in October, 2026, with additional performances happening in cities across the U.S. and Canada. Rachel’s essays have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Poets & Writers, Lit Hub, The Yale Review, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Poetry. She teaches online courses combining guided meditation, energy work, and creative writing at her online platform, Meditative Creative Writing, and through Ancestral Medicine.
