Free Sean of the South Show at ASUMH on September 17

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH) will host Sean Dietrich, a columnist, novelist, and stand-up storyteller known for his commentary on life in the American South at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center on September 17. The presentation begins at 6:00 PM and tickets are not required. Sponsored by the Gaston Lecture Series, the event kicks off the 13th season of the Performing Arts Series at ASUMH.

Sean Dietrich writes as Sean of the South. He began playing piano in church at age nine. By age fifteen, he was playing with adult bands in establishments his foot-washing Baptist mother would have preferred he avoided. A multi-instrumentalist, he started playing mandolin when he was seven, guitar at age eight, and threw away all hopes of a musical career by taking up accordion at age nine.

Having lived through enough heartache, joy, embarrassment, love, and renewal for several lifetimes, Sean condenses our human failures and triumphs into stories that make the Southern heart resound.

His wildly popular blog and musical podcast, "Sean of the South," is suited for anyone with red clay on their car and sand in their shoes. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Southern Living, Garden and Gun, and he has authored fifteen books.

His one-man shows have earned him a cult-like following in the southeastern United States and among closeted accordion players worldwide. Sean is a master storyteller in the tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Lewis Grizzard. His brutally candid, laugh-out-loud, and sometimes painful tales remind us that we are not alone in our human experience.

Taking lessons learned from his hardscrabble childhood, this middle-school dropout and former construction worker/ice-cream dipper has earned a following for his painfully honest writing, songs, humorous observations, and blue-collar love of life. His tales of covered-dish suppers, camp meeting sing-alongs, funerals gone awry, and hounds that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge have audiences drying their eyes one minute and slapping their knees the next.

His latest book, You Are My Sunshine, published by Zondervan Books, is a true tale of a how two novice cyclists, a husband-and-wife duo who share the last name of “Dietrich”, tackled a 350-mile trail and not only lived to tell about it, but emerged more resilient and in love than ever.

Sean Dietrich, and his wife, Jamie, along with dogs Thelma Lou, Otis Campbell, and Marigold the Blind Wonder Dog are new residents of Birmingham, Alabama, but cannot shake the Florida panhandle out of their system.

For more information on Sean of the South, visit https://seandietrich.com/

Sean of the South to perform in free Gaston Lecture Series

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