Poet and woodworker John Terpstra

John Terpstra on poetry and prayer

Tell us about your new book A Carpentry of Words and Wood (Gaspereau, 2025).

It started out to be the story of my woodworking career, but I discovered early on that there was no way to talk about woodworking without also talking about my career in writing. The two are woven together. Writing poetry is my first calling. The trees kindly blazed a path for me to follow through the dark woods of needing to make a living. This is the story of how the two have complemented each other.

Your latest poetry chapbook Some People focuses on homelessness. To what end?

It’s distressing to see so many people living in tents in our city. I volunteer at a warming centre that provides food, but how can we bring positive, long-term change? Words have power. I exercised that power because I can and was inspired to. It’s my contribution to the bigger effort and an encouragement to those who are doing the heavy lifting.

Can you tell us about how poetry and prayer relate?

The refrain at Trinity Christian College in Chicago, which I attended many moons ago, was “All of life is religion.” Even if the religion is not organized, it exists. I still think the saying holds true. Likewise, one could say that “All of poetry is prayer.” Even if the prayer is not addressed to heaven. That being said most poetry is determinedly earthbound. To which I say, “Amen.”

John Terpstra of Hamilton, Ont., has been winning poetry awards and writing creative nonfiction for 30+ years while working as a cabinet maker (JohnTerpstra.com). Photo: Jeff Tessier