Author and Musician Howard Fishman Brings the Life and Mystery of Connie Converse to Manchester Community Library
GNAT-TV
Posted On July 25, 2025
Manchester — What happens when a brilliant artist disappears without a trace? Join author and musician Howard Fishman at Manchester Community Library on Saturday, August 2nd, at 1:00 pm for an unforgettable afternoon exploring the life, music, and enduring mystery of Connie Converse: a visionary songwriter, composer, and cultural trailblazer who vanished in 1974 and was nearly forgotten—until now.
Fishman’s acclaimed biography, To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse (Dutton/Penguin Random House), shines a long-overdue spotlight on one of America’s most enigmatic and ahead-of-her-time creatives. Described as “a major artist and thinker of her time, overlooked until now,” Converse pioneered the indie music model, challenged societal norms, and tackled issues like fascism and racism decades before they hit the cultural mainstream.
In this multimedia presentation, Fishman will share selections from Converse’s haunting music, rare photographs, excerpts from her deeply personal letters and diaries, and stories unearthed during his twelve-year journey to recover her legacy. The talk will also include live readings from his Plutarch Award-nominated book, a finalist for Best Biography and one of the year’s most celebrated nonfiction titles.
Converse’s posthumous popularity continues to grow, with her songs finding new life on streaming platforms and inspiring musicians, artists, and scholars worldwide. Yet, her story also raises urgent questions about visibility, gender, and how society chooses which voices to uplift.
This free event is open to the public and promises to be a moving exploration of a once-forgotten artist whose time has finally come.
Event Details:
Who: Howard Fishman, author and musician
What: Author Talk — To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse
When: August 2nd, 1:00 pm
Where: Manchester Community Library, 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT
Admission: Free and open to the public
For more information, please visit the Library website at mclvt.org.
