26 October 2004
Gaspereau Press Titles Nominated for
Governor General's Literary Awards

Gaspereau Press is pleased to announce the nomination of Jan Zwicky’s Wisdom and Metaphor and John Terpstra’s Disarmament for the 2004 Governor General’s Literary Awards in the categories of non-fiction and poetry, respectively. Other finalists in the non-fiction category are: Anne Coleman (I’ll Tell You a Secret: A Memory of Seven Summers), Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire (Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda), Christopher Dewdney (Acquainted with the Night: Excursions through the World after Dark), and Jane Jacobs (Dark Age Ahead). Other finalists in the poetry category are: Roo Borson (Short Journey Upriver Toward Oishida), Tim Bowling (The Memory Orchard), David Manicom (The Burning Eaves), and Jan Zwicky (Robinson’s Crossing). The winners will be announced on November 16 at 9:30 AM, EST.

Jan Zwicky’s Wisdom and Metaphor is a different kind of book, one that proceeds not by single pages, but by ‘openings’. On the left-hand side are Zwicky’s own thoughts, which build around the central coupling of widsom and metaphor, introducing the range of cultures and concepts that contribute to her thinking. On the right-hand side are selections from the work of fellow thinkers -- poets, philosophers, mathematicians, essayists. The right and left halves of Zwicky’s dialogue cohabit without becoming confused or entangled. The author’s roving influences, together with her understated and largely spatial style of discourse, make this book truly thought-provoking. Wisdom and Metaphor won a first place 2003 Alcuin Award in the category of non-fiction titles.

Jan Zwicky is an award-winning poet, musician and philosopher. Her poetry collection, Songs for Relinquishing the Earth, won the Governor General’s Literary Award in 1999. Her most recent collection is Robinson’s Crossing (2004). Thirty-Seven Small Songs and Thirteen Silences is forthcoming from Gaspereau Press in 2005. Zwicky gew up in the prairies and has since spent time in Edmonton, Fredericton and Vancouver Island. She currently teaches philosophy at the University of Victoria.

Disarmament is John Terpstra’s seventh collection of poetry, in which he opens and closes distances -- between present and past, one country and another, old world and new, presence and absence, human and divine. Terpstra’s poems capture the twists and turns of human thought, without losing track of spontaneity in the process. This collection encompasses a wide range of subjects: A Cuban vacation, a lunch date, a demolition, a Dutch import store, and a favourite stretch of road are described in strong narratives that incorporate dialogue, song and wordplay. This collection owes its richness and definition to the poet’s ability to navigate past scenarios and possible futures, feeling around for the widest telling of any tale. Terpstra leaves his reader feeling fully engaged and informed.

John Terpstra has published seven books of poetry, including The Church Not Made With Hands (1997) and Devil’s Punch Bowl (1998). His first book of creative non-fiction, Falling into Place (Gaspereau Press, 2002), recently won the 2003 Hamilton & Region Literary Award for non-fiction. Terpstra was the winner of the 1988 Bressani Prize for poetry and the 1992 CBC Literary Competition. He was born in Brockville, Ontario, and now makes his home in Hamilton, where he works as a writer and cabinet-maker.

Gaspereau Press is a literary publisher and printer based in Kentville, Nova Scotia. The press was established in 1997 by Gary Dunfield and Andrew Steeves, and is one of the few publishers in Canada that operates a full-scale print shop, producing its own books. The press is committed to literature and the book arts, incorporating a range of modern and antique forms of printing and binding to create books that are distinctive in manufacture and design. In addition to its trade editions, Gaspereau also produces limited edition hardcovers, letterpress books and an occasional chapbook series. This year’s nominations represent Gaspereau Press’s third and fourth titles to be shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. George Elliott Clarke’s Execution Poems won the 2001 award for poetry, and Don McKay’s Vis à Vis was shortlisted for the non-fiction award in 2002.

For more information contact Beth Crosby
47 Church Avenue, Kentville, NS, B4N 2M7
902-678-6002, info@gaspereau.com