Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | The hunt for ink and paper

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — All I wanted was a newspaper.It was a small town. Somewhere in the Southeast. Big shopping complex, off the interstate. Best Buy, Red Lobster, Ulta, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Target, and all other franchises that transform American...

Sean of the South | El Camino de Crazy-O

I’ve never seen London. I’ve never seen France. Consequently, I’ve never seen anyone’s underpants. But in a few months my wife Jamie and I will fly into France — wearing underpants — to do something that is completely nuts because my wife is bat-excrement insane. In a...

Sean of the South | Jan. 23, 2025

Snow in the South OPINION —From the archives: March 2022 “Snow?” said my wife. “Snow,” I said.“You’re joking,” she said.So I showed her the newspaper headline, which read: “Alabama Winter Storm Warning Issued: Up to 4 Inches Expected Tonight.”“Snow in Alabama,” my...

Sean of the South | Jan. 16, 2025

Newspapers Newspapers have a smell. If you’re lucky enough to find a physical newspaper in our digital world, you’ll notice the smell first. Fresh newsprint paper. SoySeal ink. Still warm. It’s a unique scent.I grew up throwing newspapers. Not on a bicycle. My mother...
An American in Rome

An American in Rome

BY SEAN DIETRICH Rome, Italy. The sun is rising over the City of Seven Hills. I am sitting at a cafe, not far from our hotel, editing a column on a...

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Beulah Land

Beulah Land

BY SEAN DIETRICH The man had a dream. In this dream, he died. It happened so quickly he almost didn’t know life was over. One minute he was alive;...

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All Dogs Go to Heaven

All Dogs Go to Heaven

BY SEAN DIETRICH It was dark. The young dishwasher was on break. He was sitting behind the restaurant, out by the dumpster, tapping a carton of...

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Beulah Land

A Long Way to Mobile

This is not my story. But it was told to me by an old man who lived it.The year is 1987. Rural Alabama. Our main character is a young kid. He’s at a...

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THE KID

BY SEAN DIETRICH This is not my story. It was told to me. In fact, I’m hearing it for the first time, just like you are.The year was 1982. The old...

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ROAD TRIP

BY SEAN DIETRICH Traffic is heavy. There is a blind dog in the passenger seat of my vehicle, emitting strange and exotic smells.The dog’s name is...

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The Interview

BY SEAN DIETRICH I am mid-20s. I am a cub journalist for a tiny local newspaper with a circulation of about six. My biggest dream is to write for...

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FLY

BY SEAN DIETRICH I am writing from a plane that is stuck on a runway. It’s raining. Hard. I have a screaming baby behind me. Angry passengers...

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FLY

BY SEAN DIETRICH I am writing from a plane that is stuck on a runway. It’s raining. Hard. I have a screaming baby behind me. Angry passengers...

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