Janelle Monáe.Photo: Randy Shropshire/Getty
Janelle Monáe is entering the world of speculative fiction with her debut collection of stories,The Memory Librarian:And Other Stories from Dirty Computer.
“Sci-fi and Afrofuturism have nurtured my imagination for many moons,” Monáe, 36, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “It’s an honor to be working in these genres to create stories that I hope make all the dirty computers around the world feel seen.”
“The radical joy of this process has been creating space — creating narratives — within theDirty Computerworld,” the eight-time Grammy-nominated singer continues. “And to then have the opportunity to invite these talented writers into those narratives and swim in creative waters together — letting our ideas push each other even further — made it even more special.”
HarperCollins
When Monáe droppedDirty Computerin April 2018, shespoke toCBS This Morningabout how her late mentorPrinceinfluenced how she wants to portray her sexuality in music and in the public eye.
“I think that it’s important for people to be proud of their identity. I am very proud to be a queer, young Black woman in America. I’m proud of who I am,” Monáe said at the time.
“I love myself, and I want for all the dirty computers around the world to feel seen, to be heard, and to feel celebrated and to know that I’m right there with you,” she added.
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“Working with Janelle and the Wondaland team was such a source of joy in a difficult year,” says Delgado in a statement. “Collaborating with creators that are multi-faceted and insistently expansive in their artistic vision reminded me that imagination really is the most vital form of resistance.”
“It’s hard to feel hopeless when you’re busy imagining all the different ways in which the world could be transformed,” the author continues. “I experience that sparkling, innovative energy in so much of Janelle’s work, and I hope readers will experience it in this collection, too.”
Lore, a queer, Black writer and editor, says they felt “seen” after listening to Monáe’s pivotal album.
“When I first heardDirty Computer, I felt incredibly seen,” Lore says in a statement, “and so it is an honor and a joy to work with Janelle to grow her world even further.”
The Memory Librarian:And Other Stories from Dirty Computergoeson salein April 2022.
source: people.com
