February Content Call
Bomb cyclone* getting you down? Cheer yourself up with a cup of hot cocoa and The Belladonna Comedy Newsletter!
*“Bomb cyclone?” What, did Donald Rumsfeld order this catastrophic weather event? (No one has ever made this joke before. I am the first, and you are laughing because it is unexpected and hilarious.)
Exciting news: we’re announcing The Belladonna’s top 3 most-read pieces of January in next week’s newsletter!!! You still have time to get your views up, so post links to your pieces on social media — if you tag us, we’ll retweet you.
FEBRUARY CONTENT CALL
BIRTHDAYS
2/3 — Gertrude Stein
2/4 — Rosa Parks
2/7 — Laura Ingalls Wilder
2/12 — Judy Blume
2/20 — Rihanna
2/21 — Anaïs Nin & Nina Simone
2/27 — Elizabeth Taylor
HOLIDAYS/THEMES
ALL MONTH — Black History Month
2/2 — Groundhog Day
2/2 — Groundhog Day
2/2 — Groundhog Day
2/2 — Groundhog Day
2/2 — Groundhog Day
2/9 — National Pizza Day
2/13 — Super Bowl
2/14 — Valentine’s Day
2/21 — Presidents’ Day
LAST WEEK ON THE BELLADONNA
From the People Who Brought You Orgasmic Birth by Rachel Deutsch
New birthing trends guaranteed to bring a sparkle to your labor and delivery experience.
If The Woke Mob Makes the Green M&M Less Sexy, How Am I Supposed to Fuck my Wife? by Steph Westendorf
They stripped the salacious emerald candy of her boots, put her in sneakers, and made my dick go absolutely limp.
MasterClasses for the Mediocre by Alison Grambs
We’re lowering our standards to match your low standards.
Re: 2022 Return to Office Plan by Astrid A.
A few thoughts ahead of my return to the office…
I, Your Elder Millennial Professor, Used to Be Pretty Good at this Technology Shit by Tara Roberts
Did you know how to launch ‘Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego’ on DOS when you were 8?
Top Ten Sex Dreams I’ve Had About Paid Family Leave by Elizabeth Simone
The fantasy of an ample benefits package really turns me on.
EDITORS EXPLAIN: How to Write ‘Funny Anger’ (Not ‘Angry Anger’)
Managing editor Alice H. Lahoda published a piece in The Writing Cooperative this week explaining the difference between “funny anger” and “angry anger” in satire and how to write interesting funny anger:
Satire that successfully employs funny anger begins with a simple premise: “I’m angry about some perceived problem, issue, slight, or curious behavior.” It then injects humor to bring readers onto the author’s side. … Bottom line: good satire comes across as funny anger (a humorous deconstruction), as opposed to angry anger (a florid rant).
Angry anger is just an angry rant, devoid of any humor. It’s the difference between a first draft of angry word vomit and a second, third, or fourth draft with actual jokes in place of unhinged tangents, and clever wordplay in place of ill-conceived cursing and insults.
You can read the whole piece HERE.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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And if you’ve been published in The Belladonna before, you can join our Slack Writers’ Room — just email us at thebelladonnacomedy@gmail.com and we’ll add you!
Thanks for reading, and keep being your amazing selves!
— The Belladonna Editors
(Brooke, Fiona, Ashley, Emily, Alice, Heidi, and Kristen)
