Author Description

Who's the new private? Is she the same as the others? Lani is a writer, poet, and artist, but more than anything else, she is a survivor. Following several traumatic experiences in the service, Lani turned to writing and art to cope with her invisible wounds. Through a series of portraits and poems, she embarked on a creative journey to show the face of the average service member and to change the narrative that military personnel could not suffer from things outside of war. Addressing everything from military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress to suicide, transition, and rediscovering one’s purpose after the service; Lani shares it all starting from the days of enlistment to the years that followed the removal of the uniform. Each poem delves deeper into the life and mind of a female soldier who not only had to fight to belong, but prove she wasn't another bunny.