If It's Heavy It's Ripe: On Writing and Political Sentiment

Authors

Catherine ParnellFollow

Abstract

Writers and students often ask how to marry the personal and the political in their work. While I have no good answer, I did have an aha moment a few days ago that struck as I lifted a striped watermelon at the local market: if it’s heavy it’s ripe. The same holds true for the personal and the political. If it’s heavy, it’s good. But too much weight and the watermelon – the work – becomes unmanageable. So, to lift a phase from the poet Fred Marchant: beware the tipping point. And yet… Isn’t that the point of writing? To tip readers into a new space?

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s)

Recommended Citation

Parnell, Catherine (2020) "If It's Heavy It's Ripe: On Writing and Political Sentiment," The Review Review: Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 53.
DOI: 10.33972/trr.121
Available at: https://repository.gonzaga.edu/trr/vol1/iss2/53