John Terpstra

John Terpstra (born in Brockville, Ontario) is a Canadian poet and carpenter.

During much of his childhood, he lived in Edmonton, Alberta, but moved back to Ontario to attend high school in Hamilton, where he lives today.

Released a spoken-word recording of his poems in 2000, called "Nod Me In, Shake Me Out", with composer, arranger and producer Bart Nameth, violinist Hugh Marsh, and others.

Education

• Trinity Christian College, Chicago
• University of Toronto

Awards and recognition

• 1988: Bressani Prize, "Forty Days and Forty Nights"
• 1992: CBC Radio Literary Competition, "Captain Kintail"
• 2004: poetry finalist, Governor General's Awards, Disarmament
• 2006: finalist, Charles Taylor Prize, BC Award for Canadian Non-fiction, The Boys, or Waiting for the Electrician's Daughter
• 2024: The degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa), Knox College (Toronto, Canada)

Bibliography

• 1982: Scrabbling for Repose (Split Reed)
• 1987: Forty Days and Forty Nights (Netherlandic) ISBN 0-919417-10-8
• 1990: Naked Trees (Netherlandic) ISBN 0-919417-20-5
• 1992: Captain Kintail (Netherlandic) ISBN 0-919417-27-2
• 1997: The Church Not Made With Hands (Wolsak and Wynn) ISBN 0-919897-56-8
• 1998: Devil's Punch Bowl (St Thomas Poetry Series) ISBN 0-9697802-7-3
• 2000: Restoration (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-894031-34-2
• 2002: Falling Into Place (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-894031-60-1
• 2003: Disarmament (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-894031-73-3
• 2005: Brendan Luck (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-55447-013-7
• 2005: The Boys, or, Waiting for the Electrician's Daughter (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-55447-011-0
• 2006: Two or Three Guitars: Selected Poems (Gaspereau) ISBN 1-55447-026-9
• 2012: Naked Trees (Wolsak and Wynn) ISBN 978-1-894987-65-3
• 2014: This Orchard Sound (Wolsak and Wynn) ISBN 978-1-894987-92-9
• 2016: In the Company of All (St Thomas Poetry Series) ISBN 978-1-928095-02-6
• 2018: Daylighting Chedoke: Exploring Hamilton's Hidden Creek (Wolsak and Wynn) ISBN 978-1-928088-72-1
• 2020: Wild Hope: Prayers & Poems (St Thomas Poetry Series) ISBN 9781928095040

External links

• Image Journal: John Terpstra, September 2000, accessed 21 July 2006
• League of Canadian Poets: John Terpstra, accessed 21 July 2006