Sean Dietrich Articles

Columnists’ Day

BY SEAN DIETRICH I didn’t believe him. I thought he was pulling my leg or similar appendage. I was at the airport bar. He told me April 18 was National Columnists’ Day.“Surely you’re joking,” I said.“Nope,” he said. “And don’t call me Shirley.”The bartender pulled us...

About today

Hi. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We’re strangers. But we’re the same, sort of. Only chances are, you drive a nicer car than I do. In fact I guarantee you drive a nicer car.I drive a 25-year-old truck. The tailgate is rusted, there is a prodigious layer of dog...

Easter

BY SEAN DIETRICH A few years ago I attended my first Catholic mass in a busy church outside Birmingham. It was Easter Sunday. I sat in the nosebleed section.People greeted me with the words, “He’s risen.”And because I was not raised under a rock, I answered with:...

Dollar General

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The following actually happened. In a major American city. A guy emailed me about it.A young woman is in Dollar General. A mother of two. Shopping. She has her kids in tow. They are dressed in ragged clothes that look like they’ve been...
The American Way

The American Way

By SEAN DIETRICH I was a kid. My father and I walked into the filling station. The bell above the door dinged. Daddy was filthy from working under a...

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The American Way

In Defense of Alabama

By SEAN DIETRICH I have here an email from a man who shall remain anonymous. He says: “Sean, you cannot be serious about moving to Birmingham,...

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The American Way

Laugh

By SEAN DIETRICH One day you will laugh. I promise. Probably not today. Probably not tomorrow, either. But soon. Right now you are a premature...

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The American Way

Good Dog

By SEAN DIETRICH The little redheaded boy found his grandfather on the porch swing, late at night. The old man was whittling basswood, listening to...

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The American Way

An Old Man

By SEAN DIETRICH He stands before his mirror, adjusting his collar, fixing his white hair until it’s just so. He’s thinking of her. She always took...

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The American Way

New Year

By SEAN DIETRICH Lord have mercy. Betty White is dead. She inherited her eternal reward on New Year’s Eve, at age 99. Less than 24 hours before the...

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The American Way

Trees of Alabama

By SEAN DIETRICH Somewhere in Alabama. A small town with a cute main street, lots of muddy trucks and men who wear neon orange, even to church. The...

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The American Way

Hug Me

By SEAN DIETRICH I wish I could give you a hug right now. I really do. I’d reach through this screen and squeeze you so firmly that your eardrums...

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