Janelle Monáe's 'Dirty Computer' Comes Alive in a New Collection of Stories

'Our memories, our dreams and our emotions — these are the parts of us that exemplify our humanity. But in Janelle Monáe's new collection of short stories, The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer, those are the things that contaminate us — they make us "dirty." The Afrofuturistic world of Dirty Computer, first explored in Monáe's Grammy-nominated album from 2018, now fills the pages of a new book. Co-written with authors Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, Eve L. Ewing, Yohanca Delgado and Sheree Renee Thomas, the five fictional narratives find Black and queer protagonists grappling with how to embrace their full selves in a world set out on erasing their individuality. Monáe spoke to NPR's Weekend Edition about the nightmare that sparked the sci-fi world of "Dirty Computer," the oppressive revolution her characters live under, and creating art in a way that feels authentic.'