Starr was educated at Kohut College Preparatory School for Girls, in New York City, and then entered Columbia University.

[3] Through her marriage Jean Untermeyer came into contact with many poets and, especially inspired by hearing a reading of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, she began writing poetry privately.

[6] Jean Starr Untermeyer continued to write poetry, publishing several further collections, including Winged Child (1936).

Her poems are often traditional in form, with subtle, intricate harmonies;[3] drawing inspiration from both nature and domestic life, they explore themes related to self-discipline and loss.

Untermeyer later taught at Olivet College, in Michigan, and at the New School for Social Research, in New York City.