The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
Book Launch Parties!
=There will be at least two in May. Here's a little more information about Vicki Atkinson's release party for her debut novel (and second book for Eckhartz Press) Slivers. (She also wrote about it in her blog). 
Happy Birthday!
=Two Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating birthdays this week, and in an odd twist of fate, they are both named Robert. Happy birthday to Robert Conlon (Celtic Knot). His birthday is April 29. Another Happy birthday to Robert Williams (Bubble Boy). His birthday is April 30.
Two Chances to Meet Eckhartz Press authors this week!
And by chance, both are also writers for the Daily Herald.
Jim Slusher
=The acclaimed Book of the Year winner (To Nudge the World) Jim Slusher will be at the Aurora Public Library (Santori Branch) on Thursday April 30, 7-8pm.
Jeff Reiter
=Jeff Reiter (The Best of Words on Birds) will be appearing at his alma mater, Washington and Lee University on May 2. Maybe you caught him this past weekend at the Wheaton Local Authors Fest 
=If you do meet him this week, perhaps you'll get a chance to discuss his excellent Words on Birds column in the Daily Herald from last week.
=Fellow Eckhartz Press author Gloria Golec joined Jeff Reiter at that local author event in Wheaton this past weekend. Here's a photo from the festivities...
=One of the most famous journalists to come out of City News Bureau of Chicago was Pulitzer Prize winner Mike Royko. Mike passed away this week (April 29), in 1997. His widow Judy recently got a copy of Sirens in the Loop and reported that she enjoyed it very much, and was sharing it with their children.
=There are many ways that a book can become a film. In an unusual twist, Last Comiskey was actually a film before it became a book.
Comiskey Park was designed by an architect who built churches. If you missed it, LAST COMISKEY is available on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/o3WXCRd7iQ
— Madhouse / Last Comiskey (@LastComiskey) April 21, 2026
=Chili Dog MVP is going the other route. After starting out as a successful book, it has been made into a film and a docuseries. The gang all reconvenes in Denver (May 9) for SeriesFest 2026. That's where they pitch the series to distributors. Based on the reaction this thing has been getting, it bodes well for a successful weekend. Dick Allen's story is finally being told.
=By the way, acclaimed artist Todd Radom did the cover for Chili Dog MVP, and he also did the movie poster for the film My Father, Dick Allen.
=The second Wednesday of every month, Nick Digilio picks a film to show for the crowd at Classic Cinema's Lake Theater. He has chosen Stripes. Show starts at 7pm on May 13.
=The song that inspired the title of Doug E. Jones's book Take Me Back to Chicago came out this week (May 1) in 1978. It's a bit of an earworm. If you don't know the song, here it is. Now whenever you hear about Doug's book, you'll hum this song. It's impossible to avoid.
=Author Mark Wukas was featured this week last year, in Rick Kogan's piece in the Chicago Tribune...
=He also did this interview on the Minutia Men Celebrity Interview.
=The man who ran the mob in Chicago for decades, Tony Accardo, would have been celebrating a birthday this week. He's not around anymore, but he certainly makes a few appearances in the Eckhartz Press book Mob Adjacent, by Jeffrey and Michael Gentile.
The Flip Side and Doin the Cruise
=Two Eckhartz Press authors appeared on the same podcast this week last year. Larry Rosenbaum (The Flip Side) and Mitch Michaels (Doin the Cruise) were both featured in That Rock Show with Jim and Mark.
=This week marks the anniversary of the Kent State Massacre (May 4, 1970). One of our authors was actually there that day, and wrote about it in his memoir Doin the Cruise, Mitch Michaels. Mitch was already in radio in those days and it would be just a few short years later when he arrived on the dial in Chicago. He is now in the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
=April 30 would have been the birthday of Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock, who wrote his last (and most highly regarded) book Your Dime, My Dance Floor for us in 2018. Chet died the following year, but as long as Eckhartz Press is in business, Chet's words and photos live on...
=April 30, 1971—The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship. Chet was there. That's him with Oscar Robertson. It was Chet's first big job in broadcasting.
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=Two of the contributors to The Loop Files were named nominees for the Radio Hall of Fame. Big Congratulations to Bob Stroud and Kevin Matthews. Both deserve enshrinement.
=Three of the contributors to the Loop Files are celebrating birthdays this week. Lee Abrams (April 29) was the man who created the Graffiti Loop era (middle of first photo) and Larry Wert (April 30) was the boss man during the second heyday of the Loop (in the late 80s/early 90s). In addition, Greg Gumbel (May 3) was on hand during the most famous moment in Loop history, Disco Demolition. That's Greg below interviewing Steve Dahl that day at Comiskey Park. Unfortunately, Greg passed away in 2024.
=This week in 2024, Jim Baumann announced that he was retiring from the Daily Herald in his final Grammar Moses column . Jim says he's working on the great American novel in his retirement. Maybe that will lead to his second Eckhartz Press book.
*Happy Anniversary!
=This week in 2019, the first edition of EveryCubEver was released. Author Rick Kaempfer appeared on WGN-TV Morning News doing a Cubs bit with Larry Potash, Mike Toomey, Pat Tomasulo, and Dean Richards. It led to Rick getting his own IMDB page. That same week the EveryCubEver launch party was held at Moretti's in Mt. Prospect. If you were one of the many thousands who bought that first edition, it's definitely time to update. The 7th edition is now available! It's a perfect Mother's Day gift for that Cub-fan mom in your family.
“If you grew up in Milwaukee in the 1970s or ’80s, you knew about Samson – the huge, famous and hugely famous gorilla that resided at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Samson, who now resides in that “jungle in the sky,” thrilled generations of visitors, even when he was eating and sleeping. Dobie Maxwell’s book, Monkey in the Middle, tells the tale of a much lesser-known gorilla / bank robber in our shared hometown. Once you start reading this story, you might not feel like eating or sleeping until you’ve finished. It’s a story of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and conscience told by a comedian with a knack for pointing out absurdly funny moments during a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride.”
=Dobie often fills in for Drew on Milwaukee radio. He also co-hosts this podcast...
=April 30, 1912 was the Opening day at Fenway Park. Ike & Me author Rich King might not have been there that day, but he spent lots of time there. When he retired they gave him a souvenir for the number of years he worked as a sportscaster.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=One of the stars of John Landecker's book, his father Werner Landecker, was born this week (April 30) in 1911. His story of growing up Jewish in Nazi Germany, going blind, and then moving to America to become a distinguished professor at the University of Michigan, is one you'll never forget. That's him on the right below. The man next to him is John's grandfather on his mom's side, William J. Records. Records became John's middle name.
=This week is also Jay Leno's birthday (April 28). There's a memorable story in John Landecker's book about Leno, but Chuck Quinzio's book has got a photo. This week he trumps John.
=This is the anniversary (April 28) of author Frederick Lee Brooke debuting his series of mystery books. Brooke is a big fan of Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson's 2012 novel Cheeseland. Here's what he had to say about it...
If you liked Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show, you’ll love Cheeseland, Chicago’s answer to that Texas classic. Highly recommended!
=Author Jim Kokoris (born May 4) is a fan of fellow author Ann Wilson's memoir In Small Boxes. This is what he had to say about her Eckhartz Press book...
- At times, poignant, sad and very funny. A wonderfully unique coming of age story. We will all see pieces of ourselves and our livesin this book.
=One of the biggest stars to ever play for Green White Soccer Club, Illinois Soccer Hall of Famer Joe Filian is celebrating a birthday this week (May 1). Joe is featured prominently in the book Grun Weiss Vor, including this photo from his time on the New York Cosmos.
Rick and Dave
=During the pandemic Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern were Zoom-interviewed by the Chicago Writers Association about Eckhartz Press. This interview happened this week (May 2) in 2021.
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