Four Wings & A Prayer: A Charm City Churn is a poetic
memoir by Uni Q. Mical. It explores the legacy of the Black Great
Migration, and its effects future generations, as told through the
lens of a West Baltimore family. It is a story of transitional
space—both embodied and external—through humor, pain, and prayer
as promise. Additionally, it is a scathing review of failed 20th
century policies of Jim Crow, mass incarceration, intentional
addiction, and their (in)visible wounds on Black bodies. The poems
ask, what steps does the family take to overcome these wounds?
Moreover, what is the possibility of healing these wounds for future
generations not yet born?