Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South | May 9, 2024

A mother's love OPINION — “I am a little old woman who lives in an assisted living facility…” her email began.Her following message was about the length of “War and Peace.” She is a woman who is as sweet as Karo syrup. But—and I mean this respectfully—brevity is not...

A walk in the dog park

OPINION — My truck cab was filled with three barking dogs and one idiot. The dogs were in the backseat. The idiot was behind the wheel.“Sit down!” the idiot kept saying.But my dogs do not sit when I drive. They never sit. They dutifully explore their space when the...

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...
HASH BROWNS

HASH BROWNS

By SEAN DIETRICH Waffle House was slow. It was late when we pulled in. We needed hash browns. Stat. My wife and I walked into the arctic air of the...

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HASH BROWNS

The Storm

By SEAN DIETRICH Well, the hurricane is approaching. It’s morning, and the first thing I hear in my mother-in-law’s house is the blaring Weather...

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The Little Girl

By SEAN DIETRICH There once was a little girl who lived in a tiny town, in the far off land of south Alabama. A beautiful little girl. A girl with...

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GOOD

By SEAN DIETRICH A retired professor sent me a letter. He told me that some of my stories were “too plain,” and “needed more work.” Then he went on...

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Lil’ Towns

By SEAN DIETRICH It’s late morning in Brewton, Alabama. Sunlight peeks over the trees. A distant train whistle whines. The scent of the nearby paper...

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WORDS

By SEAN DIETRICH “Don’t kiss a girl without being prepared to give her your last name.” My granny said that. My father gave me this one: “If you so...

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The Patient

By SEAN DIETRICH They tell me Mrs. Simpson was a small, soft-spoken 90-pound woman without family. And that’s how this story begins. The lonely,...

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Mamas

By SEAN DIETRICH I watched one of those TV award shows last night. You know the kind I mean. The award ceremonies where celebrities you’ve never...

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Fireworks Under a Full Moon

By SEAN DIETRICH Fire 9:02 p.m. — My wife and I parked beside the bay, facing the water, to watch the fireworks. I hear the distant sound of...

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