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Sean Dietrich Articles

Sean of the South: A ‘Dear Sean’ letter

BY SEAN DIETRICH The email came from someone named Paxton.“Dear Sean,” the message began, “my dog died today and I feel like I can’t go on. I know you‘ve lost a dog before. How do you go on without them?”As it happens, I have lost 12 dogs in my life. Twelve sounds...
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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 yellow legal pad. I am here for breakfast, waiting for my wife to wake up.The Colosseum is just down the street. The old...
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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; the next, poof, he was organic fertilizer.He went to Beulah Land. And it was the whole heavenly enchilada. Everything...
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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 Camels on his palm.Like all dishwashers, he worked hard for junk pay. He was the first one there. The last one to leave. He...
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Mustang Sally

Mustang Sally

Sep 29, 2020

By Sean Dietrich A hotel lobby. I am 951 miles from home, watching the news channels show hurricane footage taken from my hometown in Florida. The...

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Mustang Sally

Pennsylvania

Sep 20, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Sunrise. A small Pennsylvania town. I’m sipping weak coffee, writing from the porch of a small 1893 inn that overlooks Appalachia....

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Mustang Sally

Dear Sean

Sep 13, 2020

By Sean Dietrich CYNTHIA— I’m depressed because I’m stuck indoors because I have a compromised immune system. I miss my husband. He died two years...

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Mustang Sally

BE KIND

Sep 6, 2020

By Sean Dietrich "I am not an artist,” said Ginni Bonell. “I can barely draw a straight line.” Bonell lives in Virginia. She is in her mid-60s, with...

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Mustang Sally

RIBS

Aug 30, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Ribs. That’s what I need right now. Big, fat, juicy, thick, obscenely greasy, dangerously smoky, cardiac-distressing, country-style...

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Mustang Sally

TRAILS

Aug 12, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Late afternoon. I am in the deep woods. It is raining. I’m riding a tricycle along the Chief Ladiga Trail, pedaling toward Georgia...

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NURSES

NURSES

Aug 5, 2020

By Sean Dietrich I saw you in the Publix parking lot. Your car’s gas tank lid was open. I wanted to tell you. But you were busy. You were wearing...

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STORIES

STORIES

Jul 28, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Dear Malcolm, I received your handwritten letter in the mail yesterday. It was written so incredibly well. And I wanted to take a...

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OLD PLACES

OLD PLACES

Jun 24, 2020

 A little church. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere. I haven’t ventured far...

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