Mock Heart

A career-spanning volume of the poet’s work charts the seasons of a woman’s life through desire and motherhood, grief and the consolations of poetry

“Reading Jill Bialosky’s poems feels like taking a slow and lone journey into the depth of the human heart, yet all the while being accompanied and guided by an intimate voice.” —Yiyun Li

Bialosky’s poems, “always intently alive with lyrical truths” (Yusef Komunyakaa), weave tragedy, language, and perception in poignant works of personal and public exploration. In Mock Heart, a powerful gathering of her work thus far, she opens with a cache of searing new poems and proceeds backward in time through selections from her five previous collections. We move from lyric sections of the acclaimed Asylum, a work that reveals personal and historical traumas and how we search for understanding in their wake, to the folly of The Players, about a son’s maturing into manhood in a space of intimate wonder, to Intruder, a haunting exploration of passion and its myths, to Subterranean, a book of maternal yearning, and finally we arrive back at her debut, The End of Desire, probing the mysteries of girlhood, premonitions of loss, and the temptations and challenges of becoming.

A daring poet of lyric mastery, one who delves into the spaces where desire blooms, Bialosky is never content to rest on the laurels of the beauty she finds around her. Throughout her journey, sorrow and loss as well as joy feed the earned wisdom that finished poems will bestow.

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs