On Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Bishop Connolly High School welcomed award winning poet and Young Adult novelist Peter Johnson as part of the school’s Distinguished Speaker Program.

Author Johnson, a professor of English at Providence College, presented several workshops on campus throughout the day. His novel, What Happened has received much critical acclaim. “An evocative, beautifully written voyage into the heart of adolescent darkness as clear and sudden as a bullet to the brain” writes Rodman Philbrick, author of Freak the Mighty.

What Happened was chosen as Bishop Connolly High School’s all-school-read for this school year. Students from grades 9 through 12 discussed the novel extensively in English classes during first semester. The author’s visit caps the students’ involvement with the novel by being able to share in Johnson’s comments on the writing process and his work with prose poetry.

Throughout the day the Sullivan Library on campus hosted the author who worked with student groups from all four grades included students in the school’s Honors Program.
Johnson, a professor of English at Providence College enthralled the audience with personal anecdotes as well as insight into the trials and tribulations of authorship and the inside world of publishing. Students peppered the author with prepared questions and spontaneous inquiries about the writing process. Many attendees were so interested in the day’s topics that they returned for a second or third workshop during the day.

The novel continues to receive plaudits from schools across the country. “I’m elated at the continued interest the novel is receiving” Johnson remarked. The author, who only began writing novels ten years ago following a hugely successful series of prose poetry collections says he is more at ease with fiction, particularly novels. “Fiction is the lie that tells the truth” he posited. “We get closer to real life by dealing with the characters in novels.” He is currently working on his third novel. The second, being readied for publication, is entitled Loserville and takes place in Providence, Rhode Island.

Peter Johnson was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and attended Catholic schools in the Buffalo area. His B.A. is from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His M.A. and Ph.D. are both from the University of New Hampshire. The author lives with his wife and two sons in Providence.

He is an award winning poet, and his second book of poems, Miracles & Mortifications received the 2001 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. Johnson is also the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as a creative writing award from the Rhode Island Council on the Arts.

The author and teacher is the founder and editor of the Prose Poem: An International Journey and is the editor of The Best of the Prose Poet: An International Journal.