BCC Shines A Light On: Matthew Pritt
Name of the piece published by BCC:
When/where was it originally published:
NeuroLogical Magazine, April 2022
Tell us more about your piece! What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?
I wrote it on the anniversary of my dad’s death. It had been 11 years since he passed away, and I was thinking about some of the details and random thoughts I had around that time. “1 Thessalonians 4:16” is a semi-autobiographical piece, where I explored a little about “What if I had said aloud the things I thought?” A bag of ashes does look like a bag of flour, but it’s definitely not something you’re supposed to say when they hand it to you at the funeral home. And then, the image of spreading ashes in media is that they scatter on the wind or get swept away in the current and your loved one becomes one with nature. But if you pour the ashes into a shallow, stagnant creek, they just kind of sink and settle where they are, or dust the leaves of the plants along the bank. It wasn’t dramatic or beautiful or cathartic, but there is a certain absurdity to the reality of it that was funny even then in spite of the grief. Catharsis doesn’t always happen the way you expect.
How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?
This has always been one of my favorite flash pieces I’ve written, so I don’t think my feelings on it have changed much. I think if I were to write it from scratch again today, it would probably turn out a little more focused, particularly in the middle section about shaking the last bits from the bag. From a comedy writing perspective, focusing on the doughball more than the bag would set up the final line a little better. But thematically, I like it more the way it is, especially because, “Do I need to get ALL of the ashes out of this bag?” was a real thought I had at the time.
When this story was first published, I was able to share it with some of my dad’s family members who loved it and thought my dad would have loved it, too. He always had an irreverent sense of humor, so he would have loved having a story about his death be darkly comedic as well, and I’m looking forward to sharing it again.
Is there a specific message you would like readers to take away from reading this piece?
Any feelings we have during grief are valid, even finding humor in the middle of tragedy. Grief is never a simple, linear process, and finding moments of levity in the midst of it doesn’t mean you’re grieving wrong.
What else would you like to tell readers about your writing? (Doesn’t have to refer only to your BCC piece)
I write a little bit of everything! I’ve written sci-fi, horror, fantasy, lit-fic, and comedy pieces, as well as poetry.
Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)
I’m on Twitter and BlueSky, @MatthewTPritt on both.
