Sunday, May 03, 2026
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Publishing Portal--April 28, 2026
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.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Monday, April 20, 2026
Publishing Portal--April 20, 2026
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
Meet Three Eckhartz Press authors this week!
*Jim Slusher
The author of the 2026 CWA Book of the Year award To Nudge The World will be out and about for two different appearances. One this week, and one next week. He will be at Monarch Landing in Naperville on April 21 (tomorrow), and at Aurora Public Library (Santori Branch) on Thursday April 30, 7-8pm.
=We've seen the shirt Jeff Reiter just purchased for his upcoming appearances, and let's just say that you won't be able to miss the author of The Best of Words on Birds. If you don't immediately see his table at the Wheaton Public Library Local Authors Fest this Saturday (April 25) from 1-4pm, look for a man wearing a bird shirt. That's almost certainly your man.
=Jeff has a few more appearances coming in May, by the way. At Washington and Lee University May 2, and back to the Wheaton Public Library on May 19 (he will be doing a birding presentation that day as well).
*Gloria Golec
=Jeff won't be the only Eckhartz Press author at the Wheaton Public Library Local Authors Fest this Saturday (April 25) from 1-4pm. He'll be joined by Gloria Golec. Gloria will be signing and selling her well-regarded memoir about growing up in Chicago during the 1940s & 1950s. It's called South Side Memories.
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From the pre-sale shelves
=That sound you hear is the printing press grinding out copies of our two upcoming books. They are available now for pre-sale (Beyond the Glass, Slivers). They ship in a few weeks.
=We're looking at launch parties in May for both books. Randy's is tentatively set for May 14. Vicki's for May 28. More details as we get closer to those dates.
=Vicki got her first copy of Slivers this weekend.
=Bubble Boy author Bob "Wilbur" Williams was featured this week in the Substack of The Profitable Author, Sharon Woodhouse. You can read it here.
=Happy 127th birthday this week to Western Illinois University (April 24). The university is certainly featured in Bubble Boy. Some of the most memorable stories of the book take place there, including the answer to the question...what on earth is going on in these photos?
=Thanks to everyone who came out to see Jim Elsener again this past week at the Admiral. He sold out of books for the second appearance in a row.
=Another stellar review was posted this week about Sirens in the Loop...Written by Ray Jones. Ray Jones studied journalism at the University of Illinois, benefiting from the stories and “lessons learned” of professors who themselves were distinguished alumni of the City News Bureau.
Sirens in the Loop tells the history of the “City News Bureau,” an agency that was originally set up and financed by Chicago’s newspapers, over 100 years ago, to provide group coverage of breaking news events.
The city had a large number of high-circulation newspapers at that time. And their editors realized that it was inefficient for each and every one of them to dispatch a reporter to the same scene when something newsworthy happened.
That “newsworthy something” might be something relatively tame, like a political rally or a press conference. The Bureau’s specialty, however, was big city mayhem. Murders, robberies, fires, kidnappings, mass casualty events or civil disturbances of any kind were CNB’s stock in trade. This dependence on crime and/or turmoil inspired the title “Sirens in the Loop,” the Loop being a nickname for center city Chicago.
The reporters who went to work there were mostly young. Some were recent journalism graduates or rookie reporters moving on from other news outlets. Others, however, came simply as a way to explore career options. What they all had in common, after joining CNB, was an experience that many called “journalism bootcamp.” The assignments tested their stamina, their curiosity, and their ability to gather information under often extreme or violent circumstances.
They had to cultivate the skill of drawing out information from ordinary people who’d just been traumatized or tight-lipped first responders whose regard for reporters was not typically exalted.
The book explains how all of these fresh recruits learned how to cover “hard news,” not the “soft news” that involves in-depth features or human-interest stories. Hard news, however, could also be so-named because it is indeed hard to cover. Gathering facts accurately, when the chaos may still be in progress, is a challenging assignment, even for experienced reporters.
Many aspiring reporters ended up leaving the bureau after only a few weeks or only a few days. In some cases, they left after just a few hours, perhaps after encountering their first dead body.
While its stories are centered in Chicago, the book offers useful insights for anyone interested in the skills and instincts that journalists anywhere need to be successful. One of the CNB’s distinctions was the number of alums who went on to achieve success, not only in journalism but in other career paths as well. The doggedness and discipline they developed at CNB seem to have served all of them well.
The book is loaded with brief, first person narratives reflecting the highlights of time spent at CNB. These alumni stories are interesting, insightful and in some cases even a bit jarring. After all, the “boot camp” aspect of the CNB experience was not easy to endure. And not everyone enjoys being an ambulance chaser.
In the words of one CNB alum: “When you were putting together a professional resume, the CNB was a nice place to have been from. But it was not necessarily a nice place to be.”
=Mitch Michaels was out there helping celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday at Blue Village Vinyl in Westmont. Is there anywhere in the world Mitch feels more comfortable than a record store? Thanks to everyone who came out to say hello, including fellow radio pro Jimmy Mac McInerney.
=From the Flip Side archives. April 21, 1978—Bedlam ensues at Leif Garrett live appearance at Flip Side Records in Hoffman Estates. Fans crashed through the plate glass window to get at their hero.
=Thank you to everyone who has bought the 7th edition of EveryCubEver. We've sold quite a few of them. In fact, we just had to go back to the printer for another printing. Of course, two of the busiest sales days for this book are coming up soon: May 10 (Mother's Day) and June 21 (Father's Day). If Mom and/or Dad are Cub fans, they'll love the 7th edition of this book!
=Three significant birthdays this week are featured in the book, Hall of Famers Hack Wilson (April 26), Rogers Hornsby (April 27) and Joe McCarthy (April 21). They were all part of the highly dsyfunctional Cubs teams of the early 1930s. Rick Kaempfer excerpts EveryCubEver on his blog this week to celebrate their birthdays.(That boy in the photo with Joe McCarthy is a young Bill Veeck Jr.)
=This week's birthday boy (April 25), former Chicago Bull Dave Corzine, has a copy of the book.
=This week in 2025 (April 23), we lost the great Steve McMichael. Dan McNeil wrote two incredibly entertaining and heartfelt chapters in the book I Bear Witness about his old friend and collaborator.
=Ten years ago this week (April 20), Bears great Doug Buffone passed away. In the final chapter of Dan McNeil's book he pays tribute to the Bears we've lost in the last few years. Because Dan and Doug worked together in sports radio, his tribute to Buffone was especially poignant. (Photo: Ed O'Bradovich and Doug Buffone)
=Happy birthday (April 27) to Mark Wukas!
=The Kiss of Night author Mark Wukas was featured on Rick Kogan's radio show on WGN this week last year.
*420, man
=One of the many celebrity fans of Chuck Quinzio's
book Life
Behind the Camera is this fellow who spent many years in front of the
camera, the great George Takei. George is celebrating a birthday
this week (April 20).
To the Men I've Loved (God Help Them!)
=One of the features in Pat Motto's book about her hilarious pre-marriage love life is naming a song for each chapter as a potential musical accompanient while you read. This week is the anniversary of one of those songs. April 20, 1959—"Puppy Love" by Paul Anka was released. It is Pat's suggested musical accompaniment for chapter 1 of her book.
=This week in 2024, Ken Smoller was making the rounds promoting his book Last Comiskey. He was in the Chicago Sun Times. Thanks to Jeff Agrest for this mention...First-time author Ken Smoller’s “Last Comiskey,” an adaptation of Matt Flesch’s 2023 documentary, will be released in May. It serves as a companion piece, combining Smoller’s photographs from the 1990 Sox season, content from the film and new material.
=And he appeared on WCIU, The U, with Kenny McReynolds.
=Dobie Maxwell was in the news this week in 2016. The Milwaukee Journal reviewed his book Monkey in the Middle and had this to say...
=Just a year later, this week in 2017, Dobie threw out the first pitch at a Brewers game in Milwaukee.
=Two of the contributors to the Loop Files are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Vince Argento (April 21) and Kathy Voltmer (April 27). Both contributed stories to the oral history. In the first picture, that's Vince on the far right. He and his wife Liz are among the couples who met at the Loop and later got married, just like Rick and Bridget Kaempfer (also in the photo)
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=This week in 1954, Joseph Nye Welch appeared at the McCarthy hearings and famously declared, "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" That wasn't just a crucial moment in American history, it was a crucial moment in John Landecker's life. Joseph Nye Welch is the grandfather of his first wife and the great-grandfather of his two daughters. He tells that story in this free excerpt from Records Truly Is My Middle Name.
=This week in 2018, while Rick Kaempfer was down in New Orleans making Cameo available in jewelry stores that sell cameos, author Beth Jacobellis was on the Patti Vasquez show on WGN Radio talking about the book.
=Three of the people featured in Chuck Swirsky's book were born this week in history. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (April 25), the late Blackhawks great Tony Esposito (April 25), and Chuck's partner on Bulls broadcasts, Bill Wenningon (April 26)
=This week in 2018, Kipper
McGee appeared on the Brandstorm podcast to talk about his
book Brandwidth.
=This week is the real Melania Trump's birthday (April 26). The fake one, Melania impersonator Lauren LoGiudice does the world's best Melania impersonation, and wrote a whole book about it for Eckhartz Press.
=This week in 2015, Bruce Bohrer made the trek into enemy territory to promote his Cubs book about his years as a Wrigley Field usher. Penny Golden interviewed him on-stage at the Beverly Arts Center.
=Bob Shannon's great book about radio personalities features an entire chapter about this week's birthday boy, the late Casey Kasem. Casey also makes an appearance in the Rick Kaempfer spy thriller set in 1976, Back in the DDR.
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=Peter Frampton (born April 22) gets the full-chapter treatment in Bobby Skafish's great memoir about his rock and roll interviews...
The Balding Handbook
=This week in 2013, David Stern appeared
on the Mancow television show on WPWR-TV. Who did he meet there? Chicago sportscaster Mike North, shown here taunting Dave with his full head of hair.
Hospital, Heal Thyself!
=When we sign our authors they maintain the copyright to their work, and we agree in advance that we won't hold them back if they get a better opportunity. That's what happened this week in 2024 with Mark Taylor. He was very grateful for all we did for him...
“I was feeling pretty destitute when a friend referred me to Chicago’s Eckhartz Press in 2023. My first and only book, “Hospital, Heal Thyself,” had been rejected for several years by scores of publishers and book agents. They said it didn’t neatly fit into a marketing niche. Admittedly, it was a tough sell: part biography of Eugene Litvak, a math genius and Soviet émigré-turned- healthcare innovator, part jeremiad railing against a broken healthcare delivery system. But the very qualities that other publishers shied away from, Eckhartz Publisher David Stern embraced. He and his talented professional staff helped me to get my book into better shape and published it in early 2024.
By mutual agreement, I maintained ownership of the copyright to my book. So when a large international publisher expressed interest in producing “Hospital, Heal Thyself” for a wider national audience, Eckhartz and Stern could not have been more supportive. He was kind, generous and totally helpful, a writer’s dream! A few weeks later John Wiley & Sons, a publisher with deep contacts in business, academia and foreign language markets, agreed to publish my book. That never would have happened without Eckhartz’ help. I’m so grateful to David Stern and the Eckhartz staff for their support and assistance.” =Mark Taylor, April 2024
=His book went on to win Chicago Writers Association "Book of the Year".
Publishing Portal will be a day late next week. Look for it on Tuesday, April 28.