Changing: Making poetry with and through the Yijing

In October 2016, Richard Berengarten published a 450-page poem entitled 'Changing'. This work is, among other things, an extensive homage to the ancient Chinese classic, the 'Book of Changes' (Yijing; I Ching).

Richard's talk will be based on the composition and architectonics of his new book and will be illustrated with poems from it.  Besides offering insights into a poet's mind and working practice in composing a 'long poem', his presentation will explore the relationship of Changing with the Yijing, in terms of both form and content.  By framing the theme of holism in a poetic context, Richard will also broach questions about several further issues, including: (1) the relationship between poetic thought itself and holistic thinking; (2) hierarchical, fractal, rhizomatic and alaetory models of organisation; and (3) the practice of divining and the theory of synchronicity.