The Patricia Filipowska papers date from 1930 to 1995 and measure 5.9 linear feet. The papers are arranged in seven series: Biographical materials, Calendars, Correspondence, Writings, Sketches and graphics, Family papers, and Photographs.

The first series, Biographical materials (1946-1994), is arranged alphabetically in five subseries. The first, Biography, includes clippings of book reviews from two Burlington, Iowa, newspapers and letters solicited by Filip Filipowski from Cay Burk, Ruth Feldman, and Beatrice Takeuchi giving their reminiscences of Patricia Filipowska. The second subseries, Letters to Myself, is a posthumously discovered private diary, dated October 28, 1974 to March 27, 1978, containing Filipowska's thoughts about her personal life, her relationship with her husband, Richard, and their ongoing problems with their son, David. It also reveals the intimacy she continued to feel for her artist friend in Burlington, Iowa, Robert Burrus. The third subseries, Poetry workshop materials, contains lists of poems submitted for review in various Radcliffe Poetry Seminars; class lists; course assignments and notes; and communications with fellow students. The fourth subseries, Travel, contains Filipowska's passports and miscellaneous travel receipts, gift lists, packing lists, and tourist brochures. The fifth subseries is an apparent separate diary in a commercially produced notebook entitled, A Woman's Notebook. It contains only two entries, dated January 12, 1980 and July 4, 1981, respectively.

The second series, Calendars (1980-1992), consists of thirteen appointment calendars that are as much diaristic in nature as they are records of activities and appointments.

The third series, Correspondence (1945-1994), includes letters to the editor, letters of rejection, and extensive letters from the Filipowski's son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Yvonne Filipowski of Amsterdam and from Filipowska's parents, Helen and Guerdon Parker of Burlington, Iowa, as well as from many other friends and associates.

The fourth series, Writings (1940-1993), is comprised of six subseries. The first, Early writings, contains essays and poetry from Filipowska's student days at Burlington (Iowa) High School and the University of Chicago. The second subseries, Radcliffe Poetry Seminars, forms the heart of this entire collection. These 182 poems, each in its own folder, constitute Filipowska's working file. They are arranged by the author into thematic units such as Childhood, Iowa, Family, and Illness. Most are represented by multiple versions showing the author's efforts continually to revise and improve her art. It is this feature, above all, which will recommend this collection to the student of poetic composition. The third subseries contains three notebooks of poems assembled in various combinations by the author at different times. The first notebook, described internally by the author as "very old", is a group of sixty-four poems in simple numerical arrangement, most having extensive revisions. A second "red" notebook containing about one hundred and fifty poems, appears to be the author's first attempt at arranging her completed poems into thematic units, each again having extensive interlinear revisions. The third or "black" notebook is labelled Original Draft of Anthology of Poems, containing 100 poems as selected and arranged by Filipowska in anticipation of their eventual publication. The fourth subseries consists of poems submitted for the Grolier Poetry Prize from 1978 to 1987. The fifth subseries consists of the published anthology of poems entitled The Well, containing 62 poems as posthumously published in 1993. The sixth and last subseries is a collection of Miscellaneous gift verses and limericks.

The fifth series, Sketches and graphics (1944-1962) contain drawings done by Filipowska between 1952 and 1962 while living at the couple's first home in Lexington, Massachusetts. There are also two sketchbooks, the first dated 1944 to 1946, containing samples of her work from her student days at the School of Design in Chicago and the second, dated 1958 to 1959, containing self-portraits and other drawings.

The sixth series, Family papers (1991-1995), consists of Filip Filipowski's designs called "Pub drawings" and the memoirs of his own childhood in Canada entitled Terra Cotta Episodes 1927-1932.

The last series, Photographs (1930?-1994), contains 55 photographs, chiefly of Filipowska, beginning at about age six in 1930, but also including photographs of her husband Filip, their three sons, Filipowska's parents, and close friends and associates. Also included are photographs of Robert Burrus, Filipowska's artist friend of Burlington, Iowa, together with photographs of his art reliefs.