I’ve been experimenting with different narrative media for a while now, both in my teaching (where I use graphic novels, manga, dramatic series like Euphoria, hip-hop videos from Killer Mike, Childish Gambino, and DJ Shadow, and video games like The Last of Us, Detroit: Become Human, and Life is Strange) and also in my own writing. I’ve been toying with this idea of a while now, then wrote a quick rough draft, saved it because it didn’t feel right posting in the middle of protests & looting, then ultimately decided that I wanted to give myself and others a respite from the non-stop footage of burning buildings, police thuggery, and sweeping protests. So, I realize the timing isn’t great, by any means, but all of us have to clear our head space and control our stress, find moments to escape from traumatic images we see on social media before we can return to the good fight and be part of the struggle against white supremacy and state-sponsored terrorism. And it’s with that perspective in mind that I’ve published the first—of what I hope will be many—Twitter Personal Essays called “Cloud in Trousers.”