What Happened, the first novel ever written by Dr. Peter M. Johnson, Providence College professor of English and poet, has received acclaim from four prominent literary organizations from across the region.

Published last year, What Happened (Front Street Books) is a novel about an unnamed protagonist who struggles with the loss of his mother and abandonment by his father. The book symbolizes the troubled path of the narrator's life and the muddled order that makes up daily living.

Recently, the book was awarded the “Paterson Prize for Books for Young People” by the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) in Paterson, N.J. The award is given annually to an outstanding book in various age categories.

The PCCC Poetry Center has gained international recognition for many of its activities and reaches more than 1,000,000 people annually through its programs and services.

In addition to the Paterson Prize, the New York Public Library selected What Happened for inclusion on the 2008 “Books for the Teen Age” list. Selected annually for the past 79 years, the list consists of more than 400 books that are chosen by young adult librarians and experts on teen literature.

On the local level, the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) named Johnson’s book its “Book of the Year for Secondary Schools” in Rhode Island.

Also, the Boston Authors Club, the oldest continuous authors group in the United States, will honor What Happened as a “Highly Recommended Book” at the organization’s annual awards presentation in May.

“I really like this book and its narrator … and I enjoy seeing how this story affects young people,” said Johnson, an award-winning poet, who has taught at PC for 22 years. “When your book receives a lot of praise, you realize it may be better than you think. But, if you’re smart, you’re aware that a lot of luck comes into play. I’ve been very fortunate.”

In addition to What Happened, Johnson has written his own book of prose poetry, Eduardo & I (White Pine Press, 2006). Another book of poetry he wrote, Miracles and Mortifications (White Pine Press, 2001), was awarded the James Laughlin Award in 2001.

Johnson was also the editor of The Best of the Prose Poem: An International Journal (White Pine Press, 2000) and is a contributing editor to American Poetry Review, Web del Sol, and Slope.