Poet and artist Layli Long Soldier brings language and visual form together in her new collection, We. The book invites readers to experience poems not only as words on a page, but also as carefully shaped works of art.
The title carries a layered meaning: "we" in English and "wé" in Lakota, a word for blood. This connection places shared ancestry and life at the heart of the collection. Long Soldier's creative practice also reaches beyond the page, incorporating monumental quilts into a body of work informed by Lakota philosophy.
In conversation with longtime friend and fellow artist Dyani White Hawk, Long Soldier reflects on how the forms of her poems guide the reader and how creating can be an expression of love. The collection brings together storytelling, design and cultural knowledge, building a bridge between personal experience and a broader sense of connection.
By moving fluidly between poetry and visual art, We points toward creative forms that can hold language, heritage and shared experience together. Such cross-disciplinary work may continue to expand how readers encounter poetry in the years ahead.
