Minetor, Randi (S.) 1958-

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MINETOR, Randi (S.) 1958-

PERSONAL:

Born December 2, 1958, in Rochester, NY; daughter of Al (in sales) and Annette (a secretary; maiden name, Kershenbaum) Bassow; married Nic Minetor (a lighting designer), September 16, 1990. Ethnicity: "Caucasian, Jewish." Education: State University of New York—Buffalo, B.A., 1980; University of Rochester, M.A., 1988. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Birding, home renovation.

ADDRESSES:

Home and Office—Minetor and Co., Inc., 32 Bengal Terr., Rochester, NY 14610-2809; fax: 585-271-2813. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Worked in the late 1970s as a rewriter for the Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX; Geva Theater, Rochester, NY, director of audience development, 1984-87; Saphar and Associates, Inc., Rochester, vice president, 1988-98; Minetor and Co., Inc., Rochester, president, 1998—. Geva Theater, member of board of directors, 1996—; Housing Opportunities, Inc., member of board of directors, 2000—; Rochester Women's Network, member.

MEMBER:

National Association of Women Business Owners.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Prism Award, 2001, for copywriting for a shaken-baby-syndrome campaign.

WRITINGS:

Breadwinner Wives and the Men They Marry, New Horizon Press (Far Hills, NJ), 2002.

Also works as a journalist, film critic, and public relations writer. Contributor to periodicals, including Dallas Observer.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Housework Confidential, a book on what men say about housework; two novels.

SIDELIGHTS:

Randi Minetor told CA: "Rainer Maria Rilke once said that the key question writers must ask themselves is whether they must write. In my case, the answer is yes. I must write, and I do write every day, sometimes in joyous bursts of creativity or, more often, in the slower-paced, methodical way required for intelligent nonfiction.

"I began writing for a living at twenty-one, both as a freelancer for the Dallas Observer and as the day rewriter (my 'beat' was death and weather) for the Dallas Morning News. Since then, I have made my living as a film critic, journalist, advertising and public relations writer and, most recently, as a writer of feature material for trade magazines in between select client projects. I have known since I was eight years old that I could only live up to my own standards if I became an author. I published my first book recently, and I am now deep into the research for a second nonfiction book, while I work on two novels as well.

"My nonfiction work focuses on the challenges faced by successful working women, in an era that both embraces and shames us. Here in the twenty-first century, millions of women in the United States earn far more money than our husbands do—but our society still expects us to succeed at home, as brilliantly talented mothers and homemakers, without a lick of help from our lower-earning husbands. When we turn out to be mediocre housekeepers or uninspired cooks, we chastise ourselves for our 'failures.' This dichotomy reveals itself in dual-income homes across America and around the world, regardless of which spouse earns the higher income.

"With my books, I try to bring hope to successful women while calling national attention to this bizarre double standard that we perpetuate in our own homes. My next book, Housework Confidential, will shed some light on men's attitudes toward housework by asking them directly about their role, their expectations, and the obstacles—real and imagined—that keep them from participating at home.

"My greatest influences were the feminists of the 1960s and 1970s, whose work led me to understand my own potential. Betty Friedan's groundbreaking books, Gloria Steinem's remarkable example and, later, Margaret Atwood's extraordinary fiction—especially The Edible Woman and The Handmaid's Tale—all have been critically important to my own work.

"I write on a Macintosh laptop computer and do most of the work on my books at a local Starbucks, where the background sounds blend to shut out the distractions of cell phones, pagers, and e-mail. When I am deep into a manuscript, I will write four to six hours daily, beginning in the mid-morning. Writing, for me, is a job—a wonderful, magical job—so I do not turn it into a vehicle for martyrdom or agony. Writing for me is a healthy, exciting activity that increases my productivity, sharpens my senses, and forces my ideas to coalesce."