Lucy Hamilton (U.K.)

A Tribute for Richard Berengarten's 80th Birthday

I first met Richard at a poetry reading in Emmanuel College Cambridge in 2012. I had moved back to Cambridge after fourteen years living in Kent, where I’d taught English as an Alternative Language to Chinese and South Korean boarding students. I had no connections with the university. I was eager to explore the Cambridge poetry scene but, at that time, university and college literary events were not well publicised. I no longer recall where I heard about the event at Emmanuel College but I soon identified the organiser. Richard spotted the ‘new face’ and introduced himself. I have since learned that the welcome, kindness and interest I received that evening are intrinsic to the way he lives and works.

We started to meet up for coffees and quickly became friends. He and his partner Melanie Rein invited me and my husband John to their home and later to their wonderful al fresco wedding celebration. Generosity and inclusiveness infuse their professional, creative and scholarly work. It is in this spirit that Richard has been such a significant influence on my own creative pursuits.

In 2015, when he was on the committee of the Xu Zhimo Poetry & Art Festival at King’s College, Richard invited me to be a guest speaker at the inaugural three-day event. This led to my freelance work at Cam Rivers Publishing with director Wang Zilan. Two years later, while on a writing retreat in Crete, I received an email from Richard asking if I would like to participate in the annual Xichang Poetry & Art Festival in Sichuan, hosted by the influential poet and critic, Jidi Majia. Richard couldn’t attend and would I like to take his place? Well, you know what my answer was and what a life-changing experience that visit was for me! It would lead to further collaboration with Zilan and working visits to Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province and elsewhere.

When Richard introduced me to the great Chinese classic, the I Ching, this ancient book of wisdom became, little by little, the basis for a small poetry project of my own. The impulse behind Richard’s literary oeuvre, his scholarship, his profound understanding and dynamic creativity is a guiding beacon. I am immensely grateful for all that this has brought into my life.

Happy birthday, dear Richard, and thank you. 多谢 Duō xiè

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