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Sean Dietrich Articles

Nicknames

I have a friend who was recently asked by his employer to use a different name in his workplace. My friend’s nickname is “Tater Log.” But mostly, we just call him “Tater,” “Tater Bug” or “Sweet Tater Pie.”  Tater’s employer, however, felt this name was...
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AI

There is a lot of talk in the writing community about how artificial intelligence chatbots are going to replace authors someday. The fear is that AI will take real writing jobs and we writers will eventually be forced to live in refrigerator cartons beneath an...
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Angel Eyes

The man was ordering a beer from the bartender when I noticed him staring in my direction. “You’re that writer, ain’t you?” he said. That depends. “On what?” On whether you’re with the IRS. “Brother, have I got an angel story for you. It’s divine providence that I’m...
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Lake Martin

Lake Martin is flat. Mirror flat. It is a perfect evening. The sun is low. The crickets are singing in full stereo. And I’m visiting with old ghosts.  My father would have looked at this calm water and said it was as “flat as a bookkeeper’s bottom.” Only he...
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In Defense of Alabama

In Defense of Alabama

Feb 9, 2022

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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In Defense of Alabama

Laugh

Feb 2, 2022

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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In Defense of Alabama

Good Dog

Jan 26, 2022

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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In Defense of Alabama

An Old Man

Jan 19, 2022

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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In Defense of Alabama

New Year

Jan 12, 2022

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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In Defense of Alabama

Trees of Alabama

Dec 29, 2021

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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In Defense of Alabama

Hug Me

Dec 22, 2021

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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In Defense of Alabama

The Fighter

Dec 15, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH The email on my screen reads: “Dear Sean, my oldest grandchild, Bryson, is 11 years old and was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma,...

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