Julia Randall
Encyclopedia
Julia Randall was an American poet
.
She was one of a number of female poets writing in English whose work retained rhyme
and meter
long past the time when they were considered fashionable by the U.S. poetry scene of the twentieth century. Even her work in free verse
uses techniques like alliteration
, assonance
, and internal rhyme.
in 1941, Bennington College
with a degree in English, and from Johns Hopkins Writing Seminar with a master's degree. She attended both Johns Hopkins Medical School and Harvard University
but found that medicine and teaching did not leave her enough time to write poetry.
She wrote during the summers and taught in various schools: the Hopkins evening school, then known as McCoy College; a University of Maryland
branch in Paris
; Goucher College
; the Peabody Conservatory; Towson University
; and what is now known as Hollins University
in Roanoke, Virginia
. She retired from teaching in 1973.
In 1987, she moved to Vermont
, where she lived until her death at the age of 81, on May 22, 2005.
in 1979/1980 in recognition of her outstanding poetry. Her poetry was included in No More Masks, an anthology of U.S. American women's poetry published in 1974. She received the inaugural, 1988 Poets' Prize
for her volume Moving in Memory.
Moira Egan said, "Her poetry is lean and spare.... She used a quiet care to describe the landscape of Maryland and the interior landscape of her own memory, her sense of loss and her own mortality."
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
She was one of a number of female poets writing in English whose work retained rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
and meter
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
long past the time when they were considered fashionable by the U.S. poetry scene of the twentieth century. Even her work in free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
uses techniques like alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
, assonance
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the is repeated within the sentence and is...
, and internal rhyme.
Biography
Julia Randall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1924. She graduated from Bryn Mawr SchoolBryn Mawr School
The Bryn Mawr School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school for girls from preschool through grade twelve. Founded in 1885, BMS is located in the Roland Park community of Baltimore, Maryland, USA at 109 W. Melrose Avenue, Baltimore MD 21210.-The Bryn Mawr School Community:In...
in 1941, Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
with a degree in English, and from Johns Hopkins Writing Seminar with a master's degree. She attended both Johns Hopkins Medical School and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
but found that medicine and teaching did not leave her enough time to write poetry.
She wrote during the summers and taught in various schools: the Hopkins evening school, then known as McCoy College; a University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
branch in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
; the Peabody Conservatory; Towson University
Towson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
; and what is now known as Hollins University
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. She retired from teaching in 1973.
In 1987, she moved to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, where she lived until her death at the age of 81, on May 22, 2005.
Poetry
Julia Randall wrote seven volumes of poetry during her lifetime. She was awarded the Shelley Memorial AwardShelley Memorial Award
The Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
in 1979/1980 in recognition of her outstanding poetry. Her poetry was included in No More Masks, an anthology of U.S. American women's poetry published in 1974. She received the inaugural, 1988 Poets' Prize
Poets' Prize
The Poets' Prize is awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award year. The $3000 annual prize is donated by a committee of about 20 American poets, who each nominate two books and who also serve as judges...
for her volume Moving in Memory.
Critical commentary
John Dorsey of the Baltimore Sun described her as "one of the most intellectual poets of the 20th century."Moira Egan said, "Her poetry is lean and spare.... She used a quiet care to describe the landscape of Maryland and the interior landscape of her own memory, her sense of loss and her own mortality."
Poetry collections
- The Solstice Tree (1952)
- Mimic August (1960)
- The Puritan Carpenter (1965)
- Adam's Dream (1969)
- The Farewells (1981)
- Moving in Memory (1987)
- The Path to Fairview(1992)