Eye Level by Jenny Xie (Graywolf Press) – Reviewed by Vikki C.

Lately, I've been writing about the concept of territory: the geography of desire—both corporeal and political— and the spaces eroded by entities staking claim over what simply cannot be governed by legislation alone. In Eye Level, Jenny Xie's precise language draws a profound clarity to borders often obscured by power, dispossession and perceptions of the female immigrant experience. Xie evokes sentiments both startling and tender—a saudade for places unmapped by the eye, where selfhood is a sensorial journey encircling its heritage. With each departure, there is pause for inquiry. The poet carries estrangement with patience – a reverence to reconcile the roots of Asian culture with the tenor of modern society. To thread the first thread—and lifetimes later—witness its consequential (and hard-earned) beauty.  

Eye Level is published by Graywolf Press and is available on Amazon.