Born of Dutch parents and educated in the Catholic school system, Berni Janssen began a B.Sc. and completed a B.A. She has been involved in theatre, staging 'Jane : A Personal Performance' and in the mid eighties was co-organiser of the Faceless Woman/About Face readings. Some of her poetry has been set to music.
In 1993, Janssen was awarded a Writers' Project, Literature Board Grant.
