Rachel Kessler is an Episcopal priest serving as campus chaplain at her alma mater Kenyon College and rector of Harcourt Parish in Gambier, OH. An "exvangelical" and progressive Christian influencer, she is known on social media as "The Nerdy Priest." In her previous life, Rev. Rachel earned her PhD in Old English literature from the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and she teaches part time in the Kenyon English department. Originally ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada, Rev. Rachel served as a priest in the Diocese of Toronto for several years before returning to the US. In 2017 and 2020, she received the Kenyon faculty/staff LGBTQ+ advocate award. Rev. Rachel has been published in the Religion & Literature journal and has written for online magazines such as Reactor, Fidelia and The Wild Word. In addition to her parish work, Rev. Rachel serves as a founding member on the leadership of Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies, a grass-roots organization calling the western church to hear the voices of Palestinian Christians. Rev. Rachel and her husband Leeman (Tiktok's @MayorLovecraft) have two children, and an eccentric border collie mix named Bilbo.

Rev. Rachel is an avid fantasy and romance reader and watches far too much TV.