By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary He was unknown to you. But not to me. We were friends. Sort of. Ours wasn’t a long lasting friendship, but we rode the school bus together. So... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary There we were. Standing outside the Back Forty Beer Company Brewery in Birmingham, Alabama. Me and a few friends. We had just finished watching... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary The letter came via snail mail. It was postmarked Richmond, Virginia. It was penned in a childish hand. “My teacher reads your stories to our... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary It was a classified ad in one of those nickel newspapers. It read: “Gray Ford. Half-ton. Stick-shift. Some rust. Needs TLC. Sneads, Florida. $8... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary The old timers in my childhood often used a word I never understood. The word was “Providence.” My people could not articulate the meaning of t... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary The Chickamauga Battlefield. It is a January day, the leaves are dead. The sky looks like dull aircraft aluminum. This U.S. national park sits... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary It’s is a big day for you, Mac. You’re turning 13. You are officially a teenager! Congratulations! Wear deodorant! Seriously. If there is one p... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary Yeah, I was surprised. Big-time surprised. I got home at a quarter till. My car approached the neighborhood. It was the perfect December eventi... Read more
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary Ring, ring. I answer. “Hello?” “Yeah, hi. Is this Sean Dietrich?” “This is he. Who am I speaking with?” “Omigosh. My name is Leah.” “Hello, Lea... Read more
Sean of the South: Guardians
By Sean Dietrich, Sean of the South Commentary RONALD—I was walking to school in Michigan, I was 11 years old. We walked to school back then, I know that sounds like a cliché today, but it’s... Read more