Chanel Miller

In January 2015, I was twenty-two, living and working in my hometown of Palo Alto, California.

I was given a new name to protect my identity: I became Emily Doe.

if your life has been touched by sexual violence,

hand out on the street

holding up the checkout line

rinsed in the shower

The lights went off

I stood alone on a chair, arms in the air, a drunk piece of seaweed