If you were interested in politics and read national newspapers, magazines and books on current events in the years before 2007, you may have encountered the satire and wisdom of Molly Ivins. The rowdy, irreverent writer whose columns were syndicated in 350 papers is now the subject of a play starring Kathleen Turner, “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,” at Arena Stage.

Written by twin sisters Margaret and Allison Engel, who are also journalists, “Red Hot Patriot” is based on Ivins’ writings, speeches and interviews with her friends and colleagues. It begins with Ivins trying to write about her father, with whom she had a strained relationship and was one of the few people she never wrote to or about during her life.