Uni Q. Mical is a writer/performer, professor, & proud Baltimore native (s/he/y pronouns). She/y received her MFA in English from Mills College and a BA in Creative Writing/Black Studies from Hampshire College.
She/y has served as a Teaching Artist, Youth Mentor, and in various administrative roles for nonprofits throughout Baltimore, and received the Emerging Teaching Artist award in 2017 from Arts Every Day.
That same year, she also co-founded blkottonkandy, an arts, music, & wellness initiative, with her partner DZL MC (@idreamofdzl), which received the Grit Fund Grant in 2019.
She/y has published two books, flicked/forgotten/FREED, and Four Wings & A Prayer.
Currently, she/y is a Professor in Humanistic Studies Faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and a Poetry/Theater Teaching Artist with K-12 students in Baltimore City Schools.
In response to our guiding principle at Sacrosanct - "What is it that you have been made to feel ashamed of that is, in fact, your sacred power?" - Uni shares the following:
"My vulnerability. I grew up in a time, in a space, where being vulnerable was seen as a complete sign of weakness. I felt inadequate for a lot of my young life for not speaking up or sharing my feelings when asked. Ironically, when I started writing poetry, it became the free space for me - where I could share my innermost thoughts, even the ones I wasn’t always readily aware of."
"I’ve been performing now for 18 years, and I am eternally grateful for all the spaces and places that writing, performing, and sharing my own experiences - good, bad, and indifferent - through my work, to assist others in their journey of becoming who they’ve always been, all along."
Uni recently released her second EP, Tha 27th Letter, Vol. II: Soul Urge under the moniker kLefta*maniak. Her EP includes the single, "Tha Concerta of Tha Desperado (Remix)" which can be heard here.
Check out a snippet of her lyrics below:
"I'll tell you my pedigree -
Prolly be the blackest dyke you ever see
And that's why you don't want me on your screens
I'm an embarrassment to the public, as it seems
Representin' everything they tried to take out us -
I think they forgot: there is no U.S. without US"
Be sure to check out her latest EP and follow her on Instagram (@unithaluni)!
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Sacrosanct is a community blog that amplifies the voices and art of LGBTQ2IA+ BIPOC. As a digital space for marginalized folks to self-define, self-actualize, and heal, Sacrosanct is firmly situated at the core of intersectionality while also providing mental health and community resources made for and by LGBTQ2IA+ BIPOC. To fund these LGBTQ2IA+ BIPOC artists for their contributions to the platform, consider leaving a donation here and follow Sacrosanct on Instagram and Facebook.