Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:28 am

By Kelly Grant

Dr. Jeremiah Webster is one of Northwest University’s favorite professors for one vital reason; he loves to teach; “Teaching is the greatest privilege a person can hope for; its soul work,” said Webster.

Although he has been teaching for over ten years and has worked at multiple schools, he says “NU students are the best students I’ve ever worked with.” He attributes this to the curiosity and respectfulness he has witnessed in his own students. He enjoys being a part of a community where Christ really matters.

One only has to step into Webster’s office to witness his love for literature and writing; his bookshelf lined walls and the typewriter sitting on his desk are just a couple of the many indicators.

Outside of his work at NU, Webster is involved in multiple projects that reflect these passions. One of Webster’s projects is a collaborative effort on a book called “The Spirit of Adoption: Writers on Religion, Adoption, Faith, and More” and is published by Cascade Books.

Webster co-edited this book with Martha Diede, a former NU professor, and Melanie Springer Mock, a professor at George Fox University. Other NU contributors are Dr. Moses Harris, Kelly Hall, the wife of NU’s Director of Student Programs Andy Hall, and Dr. Forrest Inslee.

“They wanted to create a book that gave people a chance to tell their story,” said Webster. “We wanted people to have a more realistic picture of adoption.” All of the contributors have had their own experiences with adoption.

Webster is an avid reader and writer of poetry. He has had some of his work appear in the North American Review, Crab Creek Review, Rock & Sling, and Beliot Poetry Journal. He recited his poem “Plan B” at the Floating Bridge Review gala reading in early November. He is sharing poems from his new collection at an ISIS Awareness event taking place at KTUB, the Kirkland Teen Union Building, on November 23^rd at 6pm.

“Writing is a devotional act…” said Webster. “Writing reminds me of what it means to be human… I feel most alive when I am writing.”

Webster recently completed an intro for the beginning of “Rumor of a Soul”, an anthology of W.B. Yeats’ poetry. He says inspiration for this project stemmed from his belief that people today often view the soul as an accessory, yet Yeats sees it as essential. Webster believes that one of our responsibilities as Christians is to affirm the soul, as the soul is an intrinsic feature of our shared humanity. He also wrote an intro for an anthology of T.S. Eliot’s early works, “Paradise in the Waste Land,” published by Wiseblood Books

For those who are interested in pursuing their own writing careers, Webster advises, “There is no better time to be reading or writing intensely and pursuing God.”