The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
Available for pre-order now!
(Ships in July)
The 12 Steps and Tales of Fellowship
Far South Side Literary Bus Tour
=Eckhartz Press author Donald G. Evans (An Off-White Christmas) is also the founder of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. His organization often runs bus tours of some of Chicago's most iconic literary sites, and there is one coming up on July 11 on the Far South Side. More info about the tour is here. We've been on a few of these, and they are highly recommended. You can register here.
=One of our best selling books of the year continues to make it's mark. Jim Elsener has been making the book club rounds. For instance...
=What a night at the Chicago History Museum last Thursday night. The filmmakers (and authors) debuted the new Chicago episode of the My Father, Dick Allen docuseries. Another star studded event, including the authors (John Owens and David Fletcher), the director (Andy Billman), the Hall of Famer (Ferguson Jenkins), the organist (Nancy Faust), and the MC (Kenny McReynolds). Meanwhile, Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave sold copies of the book in the lobby. Photos from the debut...
=Goose Gossage wrote the foreword to Chili-Dog MVP, and the Hall of Famer is celebrating a birthday this week (July 5).
=Author David Fletcher (photo above with Goose) explained how he managed to convince Goose to write that in this podcast interview. Gossage was on hand when Dick Allen was finally inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. Since Chili Dog MVP is about the 1972 White Sox, we would be remiss if we didn't also mention another key player in the book. Chuck Tanner (July 4) was the manager of that team. Chuck passed away a few years ago, but his son was also there when Dick was inducted.
=The seventh edition of the book is out now!
=Bob Conlon was also at the Dick Allen film premiere, selling his book..
=The Hinsdalean wrote a nice piece about Eckhartz Press author Robert Conlon and his book Celtic Knot. You can read it here.
=Imagine you're a writer who occasionally offers writing advice on your blog, and then one day, you happen to be reading the prestigious Freshly Pressed site, and they quote your advice! That happened last week to Slivers author Vicki Atkinson. She tells the story here.
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The Write City Review, Volume 5
=The Chicago Writers Association had their annual writing conference last weekend (June 20) and it was a massive success (as it always is). This year they tried something a little different and held it at the Steppenwolf Theater. Not too shabby. Samantha Hoffman runs the show for the conference, and she filed this report.
=Available for sale at the conference, and the upcoming Printers Row Litfest (in September) is the latest volume of the CWA writers journal, The Write City Review. Naturally, it's also available here at Eckhartz Press.
Printer's Row Litfest
=We cherish our relationship with the CWA. Several of our authors will be signing and selling their books in the CWA tent at this year's Printer's Row Litfest (September 12/13). Among them: Gloria Golec (South Side Memories), Robert Conlon (Celtic Knot), Vicki Atkinson (Slivers and Surviving Sue), Russ Fahrner (Face Your Monster, Chicago the Great Retirement Resource, and Embrace Retirement), Jim Slusher (To Nudge the World), and Tony Fitzpatrick's family (The Sun at the End of the Road). When we get closer to the litfest, we'll give you exact times and dates.
=Happy birthday to Flip Side co-owner and co-author of the book, Carl Rosenbaum (July 1). Carl is Larry's big brother, and the one who usually took center stage during their incredible run as record store owners and concert promoters. Here are a few photos of Carl over the years (with Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Anka, and Robin Trower)...
=Will Wagner celebrated a birthday yesterday (June 28). Will wrote the wonderful novel imagining what happened to Pete Townsend's guitar after he tossed it into the crowd at Woodstock.
=The World Cup is the hottest thing in the world right now. Who is watching the games? (Hand held up high). Well, don't forget your friends here at Eckhartz Press. We have a soccer book for you. Paul Banks wrote a book about how our soccer players are becoming popular worldwide. That's especially true of our women. Birthday girl Alex Morgan (July 2) is at the top of that list. This photo is from Paul's book...
The Sun at the End of the Road
=On July 1, 1962, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley was released. Tony Fitzpatrick wrote an essay about that book's influence on him in The Sun at the End of the Road. Here's a small taste of that...
I happened to read John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley on the first of these more recent road trips—heading to Ocean City, Maryland—and it struck me that the same demons bedeviling us as a body politic then, do so now. Steinbeck made his legendary journey during the run-up to the Nixon–Kennedy presidential election and, wisely, took the time to listen which, sadly, I must remind myself to do, instead of talking all the time.
=This is the piece of art that Tony used to illustrate this essay...
=Loop Hall of Famer Garry Meier has a new podcast he is co-hosting with his former WGN colleague John St. Augustine. It's called Saints and Sinners. First episode is here.
=One of the most beloved people who ever worked at the Loop (WLUP Radio) was promotions director Sandy Stahl. This week in 2008 (July 3) she died unexpectedly at the much too young age of 58. When Rick Kaempfer wrote The Loop Files about the history of that radio station, he dedicated the book to Sandy. Here is a photo of her from the book...
=The July 2024 issue of Illinois Entertainer included Rick's interview with Tom Hoyt. Tom was in charge of the radio station (The Loop) that created the most famous radio promotion of all time (Disco Demolition). His perspective is a little different than the many others Rick has spoken to about that day.
=One of the things that Dan McNeil does in his Chicago Bears book I Bear Witness is pay tribute to the Bears we have lost in the last few years. This week in 2023 (July 3), former Bears defensive co-ordinator Vince Tobin passed away. Dan eulogizes Vince in the book.
Everything I Know I learned from Rock Stars
=This week in 2017, Bill Paige was making the rounds because his book Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars was released (July 1). Needless to say, Bill was thrilled. Here's a photo of the day he got the first copy of the book...
=July 1 is also the birthday of Bill's cover-girl, Debbie Harry.
=Bill was in town for the book release, and took advantage, by returning an album he had taken out of the Arlington Heights library a measly 30 years earlier. It caught the attention of the Daily Herald
=Another anniversary from Bill's book. This week in history (July 3, 1971), Jim Morrison died in Paris. Bill Paige visited his gravesite.
=This week in history (July 4, 1974), one of the main characters in Doug E. Jones' book Take Me Back to Chicago was born. No, it wasn't a person. It was the special Red, White & Blue Spirit of America Impala driven by the main character Rick in Take Me Back to Chicago. Trust us, you have to read the book. It'll make you wish you owned one of these monsters.
=This week in 2019 (July 1) was also the release of Deb Tokarz's book I Cu Copper. What is that book about? Here's a Q&A with Deb. You have to admit, it's one of our coolest covers ever.
=This week in 2013 (July 2), Eckhartz Press released our first children's book. It was written by Scott Redman, a sing-along story he created for his kid. The book includes a series of original photos by photographer Ray Nilsen.
=This week in 2017, Lee Kingsmill got the very first copy of his book Safe Inside. It would be a few more weeks before the book's official release, but Lee was very excited...
=This week in 2014 (July 1), Bruce Bohrer was making the rounds promoting his Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher. One of the stops was WGN Radio. He appeared on Bob Sirott & Marianne Murciano's show...
=Two years later (6/30/16), when the Cubs were actually good, Daily Herald columnist Burt Constable sought out Bruce again to see if he had any regrets about leaving the job before the team hit it big.
=Thanks to everyone who came out to Blue Island Brewing Company this week in 2024 to meet Last Comiskey author Ken Smoller. The owner of the joint, Alan Cromwell, is always a great host to our authors. Thanks Alan!
Behind the Glass and Beyond the Glass
=Three of the sports titans featured in Randy Merkin's book have birthdays this week. The late George Steinbrenner was born on July 4. The story of booking him as a radio guest is one of the best stories in Randy's book. Former slugger Jose Canseco is another birthday boy this week (July 2), and so is one of the greatest boxers of all-time, Mike Tyson (June 30)
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=Two people featured in John Landecker's book are celebrating birthdays this week. Sly Stallone (July 6) turned John's interview with him into national publicity. Click here if you want to read it. July 1 is also Dan Ackroyd's birthday. Danny and John Belushi stopped by the WLS studios to visit Landecker while they were filming The Blues Brothers.
Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind
=On July 1, 1863, the First National Bank of Chicago opened. Seems like the perfect day to remind you about Vicki Quade's great book about her personal encounters with Chicagoans. She spends an entire chapter telling stories about her encounters in banks. Very funny stuff.
=Basketball is one of the main topics of Chuck Swirsky's book. The Bulls radio play-by-play man has seen it all. One of his fellow basketball announcers is Clark Kellogg. Chuck features this photograph of the two men in his book Always a Pleasure. Clark's birthday is July 1.
=The great Robbie Robertson was born this week (July 5) in 1943. Robbie passed away in 2023, but will live on forever in the pages of Bobby Skafish's rock and roll interview book We Have Company.
=Rich King's latest book is about the great working relationship he had with his cameraman Ike. The Black and White team made it work for more than 20 years. But when Rich got invited to the White House as part of the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup celebration, it was another distinguished Chicago journalist who was there with him. His colleague from Channel 7 in Chicago, Jim Rose. Rose is celebrating a birthday this week (July 5)
=The second book ever released by Eckhartz Press was Kim Strickland's Down at the Golden Coin. Windy City Live's Paige Wiser was one of the novel's biggest fans. (Her birthday is this week too--July 6). Here is what she said about Kim's book...
“Down at the Golden Coin” couldn’t be more timely or original, with the most eccentric spiritual guide since Clarence the Angel. Prepare to set your set your brain to spin-cycle.
