About Blythe Randolph

---

A native of Richmond, Virginia, I was educated at Hollins College (A.B.) and the University of Virginia (M.A.), where I wrote my thesis on Wuthering Heights.  Tired of bucolic settings, I headed for New York City, where I spent the next thirty years.  I worked in book and magazine publishing (Franklin Watts Ltd. and Time Inc.), and during this period, I wrote two young adult biographies for Franklin Watts , Amelia Earhart (1987) and Charles Lindbergh (1990).  

I left publishing, turned to development, and worked for such institutions as the Columbia Medical Center and the International Center for the Disabled.  About a minute after getting engaged in 2003, my about-to-be husband informed me that he was taking a position with Emory University as the head of its Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Division.  I followed him to Atlanta kicking and screaming, but was fortunate to land the job of Vice President for Development at Zoo Atlanta, a plum job for a person who’s an animal nut.

I live in suburban Atlanta with my husband and three rescue dogs, which are the light of my life and the bane of my existence—both the dogs and the husband.

Several years ago, I decided on premature retirement in order to pursue two interests:  writing a biography on Dorothy Day and helping to lead the charge against pet euthanasia in the metro Atlanta area, which was then averaging 85% in two of its three major counties.  (I am pleased to report that the rate is now 9% in these counties and still dropping.) Always fascinated by Dorothy Day, I decided that it was time for another biography of her from a female and non-Catholic perspective, and I have loved learning more about her and the socially progressive movements of the twentieth century. 

In my courses in American history, I have always been interested in the progressive movements of the first third of the 20th century, both for their own sake and because they were often instigated, if not legislated, by women.  Many of these women figured both before and during the New Deal, but I kept hearing about another woman who, although agreeing with others re social justice, had an entirely different way of operating.  I then heard about something of her personal life and journey, and I was hooked on Dorothy Day.  During my research and writing, I was often bored with me and with the process, but never with her.

At a certain point in the writing, it was clear that what I was writing was not making agents stand in line.  I contacted an old friend, John Loughery, who had much more experience than I in writing biography, for suggestions.  He came back with such good suggestions that I immediately asked him to co-author with me, and the rest is history.  The agent who had kindly agreed to see another draft, Rob McQuilkin of Massie and McQuilkin, signed us and put us in touch with Simon & Schuster.  The book is infinitely better, and I have learned so much!  While John and I have sometimes disagreed about small points, we have totally agreed that this should be a book about a woman, not a saint, regardless what the Vatican ultimately decides. I hope others will agree.