— life-long dream of 60-year-old poet/writer
DISPLAYING a love for writing since early childhood, Janet John-Dorie saw a life-long dream to write a book by the time she was 60 years old come to fruition with the launch of “The Break of Dawn”, a book of poetry and writings. The work was recently launched in the Conference Room of the National Library at Church Street, Georgetown, with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and other distinguished guests in attendance.
Born at Lusignan, East Coast, Demerara, Janet John-Dorie was educated in Guyana, the United Kingdom, India and Canada. Janet, as she is well known, taught at the Cumming’s Lodge Secondary, St. Joseph High and Queen’s College for a number of years; and has also been a Television Journalist/Producer.
Her extensive travels served as an invisible university helping her to gain a wide vista of knowledge. Apart from writing, Guyana’s most recent author is an ardent sports personality who played cricket at an international level.
Active in writing the school magazine in her primary school days, John-Dorie said the experience inspired her vision to write “The Break of Dawn”.  As an adult she began searching for the meaning of her existence: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?  Her relationship with ‘the divine being’ deepened, and the answers provided her with knowledge to understand her purpose in life, and led her to make positive changes in herself.
The purpose of her book is to share with people of like mind insight into the need for self-transformation at this particular time in the history of the world. John-Dorie believes that with the change within herself, she could be an example to others in the world:  “When I change the world changes”.
The name of the work, “Break of Dawn”, is appropriate because, as mentioned in the preface of the work,  it can be compared to the transition from day into night, where the day is envisaged as the ‘Golden Age’ and the night as the darkest period of a cycle. Dawn is the time when people who have an awareness of their spiritual selves welcome the new day with recognition and gratitude, and in recognition of their divinity.
All of John-Dorie’s work is inspired by observing and analysing the behaviour of the people she comes into contact with on a daily basis.  Showing off her sense of humour, she drew chuckles from the audience with her recitation of one of her pieces, inspired by a bus ride on a snowy day in Canada:

The Bus Ride
It was a snowy winter December day
I joined the bus at Sunny Glenway
Only to find that there was no seat to sit
Had to manage myself quite a bit

A naughty old man next to me
Singing “It’s cold, I need you Cindy”
A lady shouted, ‘Stop calling my name”
He replied slowly, “Oh! What a shame”

Few young people played music loudly
Had no consideration for the elderly
Had wires attached here and there
Shouting and cursing without no fear

A woman had a notice across her knees
It read, ‘A dollar for a kiss” if you please
Someone asked about the price for half a kiss
She bluntly said “What the heck is this?”

Next to her was a hulky boogie man
With a hot cup of coffee in his hand
As the bus turned by Western Laird
His coffee spilled in his shaggy beard

Noticed a disabled girl in a wheelchair
Held on to the window with great fear
The rocky bus pitched her French fries
Unto a hungry dog’s face by surprise

Under the influence of Guyana liquor
A woman was singing “I need a bachelor”
Someone remarked he was available
She remarked, “You sound like bare trouble”

As I pulled the bell for Sea Viewlakers
I noticed a man twirling his whiskers
I enjoyed the bus ride all the way
Despite it was quite a snowy day

One of her most poignant pieces was “The Battered Woman”, which, as the name suggests, is a piece about a woman living under domestic violence. The piece has a happy ending, as the abused protagonist escapes her abuser.

“I lived in fear and denial
Kicked, punched and humiliated
Calling each incident an accident
My self-esteem, dignity and courage
All crashed to ground zero”.

She continues in another verse:
“Countless times I bit my bruised lips
To swallow the enormous pains
Squeezed my blue-black eyes
To conceal the bloody tears
And hide an ocean of cries within”

John-Dorie’s book is divided into two sections. The first section consists of 19 poems which give insight into the lives of people of different cultures, and span a number of topics such as family, love, humour, domestic violence, pride, poverty and STDs.
The second section, which consists of five articles, asks the reader to be more aware of knowing the true identity and embracing spiritual values to transform the self and make the world a better place. Heavy topics such as self awareness, relationship with God, and Death are addressed.
Her message to all is displayed on the book’s cover under the title “Always have an Honest Heart, a Clean Mind and a Humble Nature”. “The Break of Dawn”, is on sale at Fogarty’s Supermarket at a cost of $1000.