Renowned Poet and Alumnus Shares Readings
Poet and alumnus John Terpstra ’73 of Hamilton, Ontario, visited campus from September 16 to 18 for a series of readings.
Over the three days, members of the Trinity community enjoyed hearing Terpstra read from his memoir, The Boys: or, Waiting for the Electrician’s Daughter and his recent book The House with the Parapet Wall. On Friday, Terpstra read several poems, accompanied by Dr. Mark Jones, professor of English, playing jazz on the piano.
Students had the opportunity to discuss poetry and life as a poet on Wednesday when Terpstra visited Dr. Mike Vander Weele’s poetry and drama class. Students especially interested in the art of poetry also received feedback on their own work in a master’s class led by Terpstra.
“I was able to see my poems from the perspective of an accomplished poet, who picked up on the nuances I was trying to convey and showed me what could be changed to improve them,” said Adam Krestan ’18 of Ozawkie, Kansas. “It was just plain fun to talk to him about poetry.”
Terpstra has received regional and national recognition for his work, including a poem in the 20th anniversary edition of Image magazine. His repertoire includes nine books of poetry, four books of creative nonfiction, and one CD.