Eye Level

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR POETRY Winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets, selected by Juan Felipe Herrera For years now, I’ve been using the wrong palette. Each year with its itchy blue, as the bruise of solitude reaches its expiration date. Planes and buses, guesthouse to guesthouse. I’ve gotten to where I am by dint of my poor eyesight, my overreactive motion sickness. 9 p.m., Hanoi’s Old Quarter: duck porridge and plum wine. Voices outside the door come to a soft boil. —from “Phnom Penh Diptych: Dry Season” Jenny Xie’s award-winning debut, Eye Level, takes us far and near, to Phnom Penh, Corfu, Hanoi, New York, and elsewhere, as we travel closer and closer to the acutely felt solitude that centers this searching, moving collection. Animated by a restless inner questioning, these poems meditate on the forces that moor the self and set it in motion, from immigration to travel to estranging losses and departures. The sensual worlds here—colors, smells, tastes, and changing landscapes—bring to life questions about the self as seer and the self as seen. As Xie writes, “Me? I’m just here in my traveler’s clothes, trying on each passing town for size.” Her taut, elusive poems exult in a life simultaneously crowded and quiet, caught in between things and places, and never quite entirely at home. Xie is a poet of extraordinary perception—both to the tangible world and to “all that is untouchable as far as the eye can reach.”

Although rarely explored in academic literature, most inhabitants and visitors interact with an urban landscape on a day-to-day basis is on the street level. Storefronts, first floor apartments, and sidewalks are the most immediate and common experience of a city. These "plinths" are the ground floors that negotiate between inside and outside, the public and private spheres. The City at Eye Level qualitatively evaluates plinths by exploring specific examples from all over the world. Over twenty-five experts investigate the design, land use, and road and foot traffic in rigorously researched essays, case studies, and interviews. These pieces are supplemented by over two hundred beautiful color images and engage not only with issues in design, but also the concerns of urban communities. The editors have put together a comprehensive guide for anyone concerned with improving or building plinths, including planners, building owners, property and shop managers, designers, and architects.

Seminal essays on loneliness, living in New York, friendship, feminism, and writing from nonfiction master Vivian Gornick Vivian Gornick's Approaching Eye Level is a brave collection of personal essays that finds a quintessentially contemporary woman (urban, single, feminist) trying to observe herself and the world without sentiment, cynicism, or nostalgia. Whether walking along the streets of New York or teaching writing at a university, Gornick is a woman exploring her need for conversation and connection—with men and women, colleagues and strangers. She recalls her stint as a waitress in the Catskills and a failed friendship with an older woman and mentor, and reconsiders her experiences in the feminist movement, while living alone, and in marriage. Turning her trademark sharp eye on herself, Gornick works to see her part in things—how she has both welcomed and avoided contact, and how these attempts at connections have enlivened and, at times, defeated her. First published in 1996, Approaching Eye Level is an unrelentingly honest collection of essays that finds Gornick at her best, reminding us that we can come to know ourselves only by engaging fully with the world.

For amateurs and professionals alike, this book is the story of photography's power to renew the spirit. Jan Phillips helps us transform sight into vision, leading us to see that images can be mirrors for our deepest truths, even in our simple snapshots. "The real thing about photography," Jan says, "is that it brings you home to yourself, connects you to what fulfills your deepest longings. Every step in the process is a step toward the light, an encounter with the God who is at eye level, whose image I see wherever I look. There's something holy about this work. Like the pilgrim's journey; it's heaven all the way."

'The City at Eye Level' is an open source learning network and a programme for improving cities, streets, and places worldwide that aims to create human-scale interaction between buildings and streets, good placemaking, and a people-centric approach based on user experience. The latest instalment of its book series focuses on recent examples in the Netherlands. Through roughly 40 narratives, written in cooperation with cities, developers, and various practitioners, the book gathers examples from medium-sized and large cities to examine how challenges and strategies are changing, as well as how many new, small-scale initiatives have emerged in recent years.

A brilliant work that dissolves the barriers between the known and the unknown, science and spirituality, and Enlightenment from world-renowned author, psychiatrist, clinician, and spiritual teacher, David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. Delve deep into the mysteries of consciousness and the spiritual realm in this classic by Dr. David Hawkins, a leading figure in the field of self-realization and personal development. This groundbreaking work illuminates your path to spiritual growth, awakening, and enlightenment by exploring the intricate mind-body connection and the power of positive thinking. “I consider myself a student of David Hawkins and return to his books and work time and time again. His wisdom deeply resonates with my lived experiences; he is often able to beautifully articulate what I cannot put into words.” – Vex King The Eye of the I (which calibrates at 950) is more advanced than Power vs. Force (which calibrates at 850) and brilliantly reveals the very core of the spiritual process critical to the state of Enlightenment. This is the second volume of a trilogy that began with Power vs. Force and came before the third volume entitled I: Reality and Subjectivity. The intrinsic power of the information in this classic will elevate the consciousness of the reader. Included are verbatim dialogues with advanced students, instructions, and explanations that illuminate the spiritual teachings. The Eye of the I dissolves the barriers between the Newtonian linear paradigm of the ego and the nonlinear reality of Enlightenment. With the resolution of the self, the Self shines forth and reveals one’s true identity. With a blend of metaphysics, meditation, and motivational wisdom, this book is your key to unlocking an elevated consciousness and achieving personal transformation. An essential read for anyone on a spiritual journey or those seeking enlightenment, offering guidance and encouragement for awakening and raising your consciousness. So, open your mind, nurture your spirit, and embrace your highest self with Dr. David Hawkins and join the millions of readers whose lives have been transformed by his empowering philosophy.

Our eyes see flies. Our eyes see ants. Sometimes they see pink underpants. Oh, say can you see? Dr. Seuss’s hilarious ode to eyes gives little ones a whole new appreciation for all the wonderful things to be seen!

True account of the training and early work experiences of the German shepherd which became the first seeing eye dog in America.