In the spring of 1939, a young, intelligent, creative, and curious woman graduated from Saint Agnes School. Vollmer, seeking adventure, independence, and new experiences, left her hometown of Loudonvillle, NY to enroll at Barnard College, majoring in journalism. There met a similar spirit in Edie Parker (first wife of Jack Kerouac) and moved in with her. Sharing an apartment on 118th Street in NYC, their place became the hub for the meeting of the minds. Lucien Carr, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Vollmer’s future husband, William Burroughs, often frequented their flat to discuss writing, literature, philosophy, music, and world affairs.