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John Terpstra

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by George J. Dance

John terpstra

John Terpstra. Courtesy comment.

John Terpstra (born 1953) is a Canadian poet.[1]

Life[]

Terpstra was born in Brockville, Ontario, a small city on the St. Lawrence River, to parents who had recently immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands.[2]

The family moved to Edmonton when he was 5, then returned to Ontario and settled in Hamilton when he was 12.[2] He attended high school in Hamilton.[3]

He was educated at Trinity Christian College,[1] a small college in Chicago, where he met his wife Mary, and the University of Toronto, where he earned a B.A. in literature.[2]

The couple moved to Hamilton, where he found work at a furniture-making company. After 5 years there, and 5 years working in construction, he became a self-employed furniture maker, a business he has run in Hamilton for more than 20 years.[2]

His work has been anthologized in Poetry and Spiritual Practice: Selections from contemporary Canadian poets (St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2002), Henry's Creature: Poems and stories on the automobile (Black Moss Press, 2000), and New Canadian Poetry (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2000).[4]

He released an award-winning spoken-word CD recording of his poems in 2000, called "Nod Me In, Shake Me Out",[5] with pianist, composer, arranger and producer Bart Nameth, violinist Hugh Marsh, and others.[3]

Recognition[]

In 2011, a plaque containing Terpstra's poem "Giants" (which highlights Hamilton's escarpment and other geography) was installed in Sam Lawrence Park in Hamilton by Project Bookmark Canada.[6]

Awards[]

  • Shortlisted for BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction for The Boys or, Waiting for the Electrician's Daughter, 2005 
  • Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-fiction, short-listed, 2005 
  • Governor General's Award for Poetry, short-listed, 2003 for Disarmament
  • Hamilton and Region Arts Council Poetry Collection/Anthology Award (2001)(regional), Nod Me In, Shake Me Out
  • Hamilton and Region Arts Council Poetry Book Prize (1999) (regional), Devil's Punch Bowl
  • GUI (God Uses Ink) Prize for poetry (1999) (national), To God, as a Small Pest, and Atonement, two poems from Devil's Punch Bowl
  • Hamilton and Region Arts Council Poetry Book Prize (1998) (regional), The Church Not Made With Hands
  • Hamilton and Region Arts Council First Prize for Non-Fiction (1995) (regional), "Where in the world is Burlington Heights?"
  • CBC Radio Literary Competition (1991) (national) First Prize for Poetry (poem or series of poems),  Captain Kintail
  • Il Premio Francesco Guiseppe Bressani Prize for Poetry also known as the Bressani Prize (1988) (national), Forty Days and Forty Nights

Except where noted, award information courtesy the University of Toronto.[7]

Publications[]

Poetry[]

  • Scrabbling for Repose, and other poems. Toronto: Split Reed Press, 1982.
  • Forty Days and Forty Nights. Windsor, ON: Netherlandic Press, 1987.
  • Naked Trees. Windsor, ON: Netherlandic Press, 1990; Hamilton, ON: Wolsak & Wynn, 2012.
  • Captain Kintail. Windsor, ON: Netherlandic Press, 1992.
  • The Church Not Made With Hands: Poems. Toronto: Wolsak & Wynn, 1997.
  • The Church Where We Go to Now. Hamilton, ON: 1998.
  • Devil's Punch Bowl. Toronto: St. Thomas Poetry Series, 1998.
  • Restoration (chapbook).Wolfeville, NS: Gaspereau, 2000.
  • Disarmament. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2003.
  • Brendan Luck. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2005.
  • Two or Three Guitars: Selected poems. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2006.
  • Elder Son: Poems. North Vancouver, BC: Alfred Gustav Press, 2009.
  • Brilliant Falls. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2013.
  • This Orchard Sound. Hamilton, ON: Wolsak & Wynn, 2014.
  • In the Company of All: Prayers from Sunday mornings at St. Cuthbert's. Toronto: St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2016.
  • Mischief. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2017.

Non-fiction[]

  • Falling into Place (essay). Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2002.
  • The Boys; or, Waiting for the electrician's daughter.Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2005.
  • Skin Boat; Acts of faith and other navigations (literary non-fiction). Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2009.
  • The House With the Parapet Wall. Kentville, NS: Gaspereau, 2014.
  • Daylighting Chedoke: Exploring Hamilton's hidden creek. Hamilton, ON: James Street North Books, 2018.
John_Terpstra_6.3.16_Plight

John Terpstra 6.3.16 Plight

John_Terpstra_-_Diggers_of_Graves

John Terpstra - Diggers of Graves

John_Terpstra_-_I_Moved_To_Burlington_In_My_Sleep

John Terpstra - I Moved To Burlington In My Sleep


Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[5]

Audio / video[]

  • The Further Adventures of Captain Kintall: Poems and music (cassette; with Barth Nameth). 1989.
  • The Church Not Made with Hands: Poems and music (cassette; with Barth Nameth). [1993?]
  • Nod Me in, Shake Me out (CD; with Bart Nameth). John Terpstra, 2008.
  • A Reading by John Terpstra (CD). Grand Rapids, MI: Calvin College, 2006.


Except where noted, discographical information courtesy WorldCat.[5]

See also[]

References[]

Fonds[]


Notes[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Terpstra, John, Authority Record, McMaster Uniersity. Web, May 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 About John, John Terpstra. Web, May 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 John Terpstra, Wikipedia, January 9, 2018. Web, May 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Jhn Terpstra: Biography, Canadian Poetry Online, University of Toronto Libraries. Web, June 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Search results = au:John Terpstra, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ Site Profile, Hamilton's Bookmark, Open Book Ontario. Web, June 13, 2013.
  7. ↑ John Terpstra: Awards and Honours, Canadian Poetry Online, University of Toronto Library. Web, June 13, 2013.

External links[]

Poems
Books
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