This may be one of the oddest springs – autumns to our friends in the southern hemisphere – that any of us have ever experienced. The Funny Pearls editors have, of course, been considering whether a humour website has a role to play in such an environment. Is it frivolous, superficial or a sign of denial to post pretty images accompanied by humorous stories when there’s fear and suffering on a global scale? Would it be appropriate to post material that addresses such a serious topic? Or does that amount to making light of despair? Many of the contributors who have submitted material about the Covid-19 virus have written messages to us expressing similar doubts.

We think it would be worse to ignore what is possibly the most significant event of this century and continue as if we inhabited a parallel universe, which – as much as that would be desirable in the literal sense – isn’t the look we’d like for Funny Pearls. We have never shied away from serious issues: death, religion, mental illness, suicide & natural disaster have featured in stories on the site. In fact, some of our most popular contributions have been those dealing with the hardest subjects. The writer who can describe a sociopathic neighbour (you know who you are) and the writer who can get inside the head of a demented stalker (you know who you are) and still show empathy, that’s the sort of writer who can get away with mixing humour and disaster. So, while we will continue to post stories about all the usual subjects, we’ve decided not to avoid the big one.

We hope you will continue to read the site during this extraordinary time and that women writers will continue to submit to us. Laughter cannot possibly be the best medicine at the moment, but it’s hard to imagine it making our circumstances any worse. And if Funny Pearls brightens up your day just a little in a time when patience, self-restraint and sacrifice is required, we have done our jobs.

We wish safety and good health to all our readers and writers.

Philippa and Mette
FUNNYPEARLS.COM