Author Howard Fishman brings the story of Connie Converse to Seton Hall

Join author Howard Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music and Mystery of Connie Converse as he discusses his work excavating Converse’s strange life and compelling legacy in conversation with historian Nathaniel Knight, Ph.D., from the Department of History. Followed by Q&A and book signing on Wednesday, April 2 at  5 p.m. at Fahy Hall 7. 

Connie Converse was more than a pioneering songwriter and composer whose work has only now begun to be recognized, more than a half century after her deliberate disappearance. She was a polymath; an artist and thinker whose interests and activities included: painting, drawing, sculpture, poetry, cartooning, statistics, game theory, political activism, and trailblazing writing on conflict resolution, and racism in America.

Howard Fishman is an author, composer, and essayist. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Times. His writing has also appeared in Rolling Stone, The Telegraph, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, Artforum, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe. His play, "A Star Has Burnt My Eye", was a New York Times Critics Pick, and his book To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse (Dutton, 2023) was a finalist for the Plutarch Award for Biography of the Year.

Praise for To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse:

 "It takes a great journalist to find the stories behind the mysteries we carry. Howard Fishman has done that with his superb examination of Connie Converse." —Ken Burns.

“‘To Anyone’ is the grandly researched portrait of a talent who didn’t get her due…a rich paean to [Converse’s music], and to the profound connections that art can form between individuals, even decades apart.”—The Washington Post.

“Gripping and searching… Mr. Fishman’s thoughtful and deeply researched book provides a far bolder jolt than any cover version can provide. It may yet help find for Converse what the author proposes—a place at ‘the table of great American artists and thinkers.’”—The Wall Street Journal.

“Packed with detective-level details about a Renaissance woman whose work passed through this world all but unnoticed”—The Boston Globe.

“So powerful…A totemic accomplishment and indispensable guide…written with Robert Caro–esque thoroughness. The exhaustive care with which Fishman approaches his subject is itself hypnotic, even devastating.”—Los Angeles Review of Books.

“Fishman debuts with a rich biography of Elizabeth “Connie” Converse… Fishman’s research is nothing short of remarkable… Fishman succeeds wildly in uncovering the anguish and beauty in Converse’s bewildering story. This should earn Converse some new fans.”—Publishers Weekly.

“[Fishman’s] enthusiasm and diligence is infectious… Through the obsession of such dedicated fans as Fishman, Connie Converse will find a larger audience.” —Kirkus.

“Musician, culture writer, and playwright Fishman’s extraordinary trek through the life and works of Connie Converse is a laudable endeavor… the author constructs an emotional narrative.” —Library Journal.

“Converse’s story is a natural fit for our cultural moment of reclamation and long-delayed rectification…The closest we’re ever likely to come to the cypher behind those beautiful, heartsick songs.” —The New Republic.

Partial funding for this event has been provided by the College of Arts and Sciences thanks to the generous support of the President's Advisory Council members, by the Center for Faculty Development, and by the Department of History.

Categories: Arts and Culture