pbSeminal essays on loneliness, living in New York, friendship, feminism, and writing from nonfiction master Vivian Gornickb pVivian Gornick's iApproaching Eye Level iis 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. pTurning 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 i