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 edit

Awards and recognition edit

  • 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 edit

  • 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 edit