TL;DR
Get art and craft supplies delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Layli Long Soldier discusses the visual form and ideas behind We, her poetry collection published by Graywolf Press in 2026, in an interview with artist Dyani White Hawk for Hyperallergic. The report highlights the book’s page design and the title’s connection between the English word “we” and the Lakota word “wé,” which it says means “blood.”
Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier discussed the visual form and cultural grounding of We, her 2026 poetry collection from Graywolf Press, in an interview with artist Dyani White Hawk published by Hyperallergic. The conversation addresses the book’s page design and the title’s relationship to Lakota language.
White Hawk, described by Hyperallergic as Long Soldier’s longtime friend and colleague, interviewed the poet about the shape of her poems, her monumental quilts and the role of Lakota philosophy in her work. The report says We combines poetry and storytelling in a form that is visual as well as literary. It does not provide a full account of the poems or reproduce the interview in its entirety.
The title carries a linguistic connection central to the report’s description: the English “we” and the Lakota “wé,” translated there as “blood.” The accompanying text links that meaning to shared lineage and life. This is presented as an explanation of the title, not as a claim that the two words have identical uses or meanings in every context.
Hyperallergic’s newsletter quotes Long Soldier reflecting on creative work: “I think creating is equivalent to love. It can be received or it can be dismissed, but we give it because we must.” The statement appears as part of the publication’s account of an interview that also considers art and grief. The supplied report does not specify the date the interview was conducted or give details about the book’s sales, reception or public events.
How Form Carries the Poems
The account addresses how a poem looks and moves on the page, alongside its language. Long Soldier’s discussion connects that formal approach to visual art, including quilts, and to reading as a movement through space. The interview considers the collection’s design and language together.
The title’s connection to “wé” and blood also brings language and shared inheritance into the book’s framing. The interview discusses Long Soldier’s creative practice in relation to Lakota philosophy without describing the collection as having only one theme. White Hawk and Long Soldier consider how artistic form can convey personal, cultural and communal meanings.
The source does not report how readers or critics have responded to the collection. It documents Long Soldier discussing her process and the ideas that inform it; the interview does not substitute for the poems themselves.
Popular right now
Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine, Brushed Stainless Steel
Dyson V8 Cyclone Cordless Vacuum
Bose QuietComfort True Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation, Black
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Collection at the Text-Art Border
Hyperallergic featured the interview in a year-end newsletter recommending new art books. The newsletter’s broader list included books on artists and art history, while the Long Soldier item focused on We and the overlap between poetry and visual art. The report discusses the collection’s appearance on the page and its relationship to quilts.
White Hawk’s role matters to the exchange: she is an artist and, according to the report, a longtime friend and colleague of Long Soldier. The interview brings together two artists to discuss the poet’s work rather than presenting a review or a publisher’s synopsis. Graywolf Press is identified as the publisher, and the report dates the collection to 2026; it gives no publication day or additional release details.
“I think creating is equivalent to love. It can be received or it can be dismissed, but we give it because we must.”
— Layli Long Soldier, quoted in Hyperallergic’s newsletter
Details Beyond the Interview
The supplied report does not state when the interview took place, provide the collection’s exact publication date or describe its contents poem by poem. It also does not say whether the quilts discussed are reproduced in We, how many are involved, or what materials and dimensions they have.
There are no sales figures, review summaries, award announcements or confirmed event dates in the source material. The newsletter describes the book as visually engaging, but the source provides no data on reader response. Any account of reception or subsequent developments would require additional reporting.
Further Information on We
Readers seeking more information can consult the full interview at Hyperallergic and the collection from Graywolf Press. The supplied report does not announce a forthcoming launch, reading or exhibition, so no such event can be confirmed here.
Further reporting could establish the book’s precise release date, the relationship between its poems and the quilts discussed, and any public appearances by Long Soldier or White Hawk. The report confirms the publication of their conversation about We’s visual poetry and Lakota connections.
Key Questions
What is the news about Layli Long Soldier?
Hyperallergic published an interview in which Long Soldier discusses the visual form, quilts and Lakota grounding of her 2026 poetry collection We.
Who interviewed Long Soldier?
Artist Dyani White Hawk, whom the report describes as Long Soldier’s longtime friend and colleague, conducted the conversation.
What does the title We refer to?
The report connects the English “we” with the Lakota word “wé,” which it translates as “blood,” and links that meaning to shared lineage and life.
Who published the poetry collection?
Graywolf Press is identified as the publisher. The report lists We as a 2026 publication but does not give an exact release date.
Are readings or other events confirmed?
No event dates are given in the supplied report. It focuses on the interview and the collection, rather than announcing a tour or public program.
Source: hyperallergic.com
