Leonel Lienlaf is a key figure in contemporary Mapuche poetry, working not only in the medium of writing but also in traditional Mapuche song, or Ül. He writes primarily in Mapudungun and often translates his own work into Spanish. His first verse collection, Se ha despertado el ave de mi corazón, was awarded the Municipal Prize for Literature in Santiago, Chile in 1991. His other works include verse collections Pewma dungu/Palabras soñadas (2003) and Kogen (2014), as well as the audio CD Canto y poesía mapuche (1998).