Annie Steger Winston

Annie Steger Winston (1862–1927) was an American writer from Virginia. She wrote novels, short stories, essays, plays, and critical pieces, contributing to prominent periodicals. Her dialect story, "Melinda’s Encumbrance", was well received and led to other writing opportunities. Winston published two books, Memoirs of a Child and The Deeper Voice (1923), and was active in her state's literary community through the Virginia Writers' Club.

Early life and education Annie Steger Winston was born at Richmond, Virginia, (According to Whittle (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1903), Annie was born in Amelia County, Virginia, while her infancy, as well as her childhood and subsequent life, were spent in Richmond.)

Her parents were Charles Henry and Annie ("Nannie") (Steger) Winston. Charles was a professor physics and astronomy at Richmond College. He was a descendant of Rev. Peter Fontaine, first rector of Westover Church Westover Parish, Charles City County, Virginia; of Richard Cocks, a three-time member of the House of Burgesses; and of Patrick Henry through his mother, a Miss Winston. Nanie was a daughter of Major John Steger, of Amelia County, Virginia, was of German descent, her great-grandfather having emigrated to the U.S. from that country.

After leaving school, she took private lessons from three Richmond-area artists, Edward Virginius Valentine (sculptor), John Adams Elder (painter), and William Ludlow Sheppard (watercolorist). The germ of her first book, Memoirs of a Child (1903) was contained in two contributions of that character to Lippincott's Magazine, entitled the "Fantastic Terror of Childhood" and "The Book Which Most Benefitted Me". the reception of these led to kindred productions brought out by the Kindergarten Review, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and these in turn to the finished book, It was adopted as a textbook in a number of colleges; some educators referred to this book as a classic.

Winston was also the author of several one-act plays.

Winston did not write regularly, but only when she had an idea. Then she described herself as being seized with a sort of hunger for writing, going to her desk immediately after breakfast, and again after lunch, and remaining until dark.

Winston belonged to the Woman's Club of Richmond

Winston never married. She died at her home in Richmond, Virginia, on May 12, 1927. Interment was at that city's Hollywood Cemetery.

Selected works

Books Memoirs of a Child, 1903 The Deeper Voice, 1923

Essays "America as a Field for Fiction", The Arena, 1900 "Fantastic Terror of Childhood", Lippincott's Magazine "The Book Which Most Benefitted Me", Lippincott's Magazine "The Democracy of Fiction", Lippincott's Magazine, 1898 "Who is your Favorite Author?", Williams Literary Monthly, 1898

Poetry "A Ballad of the Balladist", The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, 1898 "A Ballad of Paper Fans", Scribner's Monthly, 1891

Short stories "A Co-operative Courtship", Scribner's Magazine, 1895 "Tucker's Tour", Harper's Weekly, 1895 "Melinda’s Encumbrance" "The Pleasures of Bad Taste", Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, 1895