Jeltje Fanoy's Indonesian-born Dutch parents left Europe fearing a Soviet invasion. They migrated to Australia in 1963 and settled in Melbourne.
Fanoy has published in English and Dutch and has some knowledge of German. She has described herself as a political poet who believes that words can change society and that poetry belongs to everybody. Her poetry has been read numerous times on radio, and she has performed her work at many public venues including factories, Melbourne streets, and poetry festivals. Fanoy has been editor of Migrant 7, a poetry magazine by and for migrant writers, and has spent many years working with Collective Effort Press.
Fanoy has published some of her work under her Dutch name, Jeltje van Ooij, and under her first name only (Jeltje), but eventually changed her name to the phonetic spelling Fanoy.
