Winslow, Kathryn

Biographical Note

A novelist, a biographer and a businesswoman, Kathryn Winslow (1906-1989) is known for her life long patronage and friendship to authors Henry Miller and Kenneth Patchen.

In 1948-1958 she managed a bookstore "The Studio of Henry Miller", also called Studio 'M', with her husband William (Bill) Mecham. The store, situated in the heart of Chicago in a red building next to Hyde Park, was famous for it's selection of works by Henry Miller and Kenneth Patchen. Studio 'M' developed into an active gathering place for local artist and literary enthusiasts, who were drawn not only to buy books, many of which were shipped directly from the authors' homes, but to view exhibited Miller ephemera, and attend various after hour readings and musical performances.

Kathryn and Bill Mecham were introduced to the Patchens through Henry Miller. A visit to the Patchens at Old Lyme in June 1950 resulted in a lasting friendship and the future efforts by Winslow to bring relief to the Patchen financial predicament through fund raisers held at Studio 'M' .

An author of three works, Kathryn Winslow received an Associate Press Author of the Week award for her first release Big Pan-Out (1951), and later became a best-seller biographer for Henry Miller: A Full Life (1986). Her second book Alaska Bound was published in 1960.

Kathyrn Winslow moved to Sonoma, California, in the mid 1970's to be near her son Berwick Johnson. She lived there until her death in January 4, 1989.

From the guide to the Kathryn Winslow Collection, 1950-1988, (University of California, Santa Cruz. University Library. Special Collections and Archives)