Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | The Tomato Elegy

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Thank you for the care package, Miss Paula. Thank you for the cute basket of homemade jams with handwritten labels. Do you know how long it’s been since I had mayhaw jelly? A long time.But most importantly, thank you for the...

Sean of the South | The argument I had in the supermarket

OPINION — BY SEAN DIETRICH I got into an argument at the supermarket. This is how volatile our world is right now. It was in the checkout line. My opponent was not only clueless, but pigheaded, refusing all logic. The fact that my opponent is only 9 is no excuse.“I...

Sean of the South | Vacation Bible Kids

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — “Dear Sean,” the email began. “I teach vacation Bible school… Last year we had three Latino children whose parents are undocumented immigrants…“Church leadership felt it best not to allow these children to attend VBS this year. It broke my...

Sean of the South | The art you find in Waffle House

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Waffle House. My waitress has a bunch of tattoos. The women customers in the booth behind mine are talking about it in voices loud enough to alter the migratory patterns of waterfowl.“Did you see ALL her tattoos? Our waitress?”“I know.”“Why...
Uhhhh…

Uhhhh…

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — It’s a rainy night in Columbus, Georgia. I have an interview on the local evening news. This is a monumental occasion. My...

read more
Uhhhh…

More letters to Dear Sean

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — DEAR SEAN: All I want this year is for this girl in my third period class to go on a date with me, but she’s way out of...

read more
Uhhhh…

All the purty horses

BY SEAN DIETRICH The day before New Year’s Eve. I was stuck in Birmingham rush hour. A ten-mile line of standstill traffic stretched before me. It...

read more
Uhhhh…

The Giving Tree

BY SEAN DIETRICH Merry Christmas, Layla Grace. I got your name from the church Christmas tree. It’s kind of like Angel Tree, where you buy gifts for...

read more

Christmas Prayers

The side-of-the-highway café was decorated for Christmas. Plastic balsam trees on formica tables. Beside the napkin dispenser, a nutcracker soldier...

read more
Uhhhh…

Sean of the South

Relax, you're going to be okay You’re going to be okay. That’s not an opinion. It’s not a guess. This isn’t some trite little catchphrase from some...

read more
Uhhhh…

The 11-year-old in the house

BY SEAN DIETRICH There is a little girl in my house. She is 11. She is currently playing piano in my office. She is blind, so she plays by feel. She...

read more
Uhhhh…

From the files of ‘Dear Sean’

BY SEAN DIETRICH DEAR SEAN:I’m not sure what to do. My teenage son died in an accident three years ago. … A few months ago one of his good friends...

read more