Janelle Monáe’s debut publication ‘The Memory Librarian’ is inspired by her 2018 album ‘Dirty Computer’.
The short story collection expands on the record’s concept and explores “a world in which thoughts – as a means of self-conception – could be controlled or erased by a select few”.
It was penned alongside Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore and Sheree Renée Thomas and, according to publishers at HarperCollins, was inspired by sci-fi writers such as Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Becky Chambers and Nnedi Okorafor.
“Who holds your memories?”
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) December 2, 2021
The official cover for THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN and Other Stories of Dirty Computer. APRIL 2022. Pre-Order now avail. 🤖 pic.twitter.com/2GE3kfXssE
A synposis claims ‘The Memory Librarian’ “brings to the written page the Afrofuturistic world of [Monáe’s] critically acclaimed album, exploring how different threads of liberation – queerness, race, gender plurality, and love – become tangled with future possibilities of memory and time in such a totalitarian landscape… and what the costs might be when trying to unravel and weave them into freedoms.”
In her own post on Twitter, Janelle adds: “It’s been a complete honor to swim in creative waters with other dirty computers in our community. I’m so so thankful for these incredible writers for helping bring these stories to light
“I humbly thank you for taking a byte with me as we dig deeper into the world and stories of Dirty Computer.”
‘Dirty Computer’ was released on April 27, 2018 and spawned the hits Make Me Feel and I Like That.
‘The Memory Librarian’, due April 14, is available to pre-order now.