[Poet Spotlight] Anchalee Joy Panigabutra-Roberts

Anchalee Panigabutra-Roberts ~ อัญชลี ปาณิกบุตร-โรเบิร์ตส์ (Joy ~ จอย) has her roots in Thailand. The U.S., mostly the Midwest, ended up being her home, after she came to the U.S. as an exchange student in 1984, with a three-year stint in Canada (2002–2005).

 It is still a mystery why she is drawn to this vast heartland with the extreme heat of the summer and the deep freeze of the winter. Perhaps it has to do with the beauty of the four seasons, the open space, and the fabulous sky.

For a time, she was a librarian at a university in the Midwest, and then Egypt, but who knows what she will become. One thing she knows for certain is that she is very passionate about social justice and human rights. She believes that peace is easier than wars, and love is easier than hatred. Poetry and dance, especially Thai dance, have been her main creative forms.

She lives with her husband and her daughter.