Friday, February 06, 2026
Monday, February 02, 2026
Publishing Portal--February 2, 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.
The Sun at the End of the Road
=Rick Kaempfer and David Stern will be moderating a virtual discussion about Tony Fitzpatrick's book (The Sun at the End of the Road) on February 6th (That's this Friday!) for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. It's free, but you need to register here. This is the description of the event....
Tony Fitzpatrick published his essay collection, The Sun at the End of the Road, just weeks before his death. Tony was celebrated as a visual artist, radio personality, boxer, and actor, but too often his accomplishments as a writer were overlooked. He was a fantastic writer--this last book is proof of that. It's a kind of memoir told in a series of small reflective prose pieces. His publisher, Eckhartz Press, expedited the release date, and because of that Tony was able to experience a small bit of the book's success. The founders and owners of Eckhartz, Rick Kaempfer and Dave Stern, will moderate a discussion about The Sun at the End of the Road. Special guests include Thomas Dyja, Ann Filmer, Mark Eleveld and Dave Hoekstra.
=Expect lots of entertaining stories about Tony, a fun discussion about his book, and a major announcement. That's just a tease for now. More info here next week.
=By the way, don't forget that Tony's final two posters are also available at Eckhartz Press. The poster for his final showing, and the poster for this book. Here they are...
=Jim Elsener got the first copy of his book in his hands last week (Photo). It's currently at the printer, and will ship the week of February 16. Thank you for the many pre-orders of the book.
=Who is Jim, you ask? Well, here's a little primer...
James Elsener is a veteran journalist and author. During his four-decade career, he has been a newspaper publisher, editor, columnist, reporter, sales manager, and association executive.
Elsener began his career at the legendary City News Bureau of Chicago. He later became a reporter with the Chicago Tribune, managed a national newspaper trade association, and founded and owned a regional business publication.
Elsener served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Columbia University (New York). He is the author of two novels. He and his wife, Patricia, a former journalist, live in suburban Chicago.
=The podcast of Jim's interview with Steve & Johnnie on WGN was posted on WGN's website. Listen to it here.
=Jim's co-author is Paul Zimbrakos, who actually started writing the book and provided most of the material for it. Here's a little more about Paul...
Paul Zimbrakos was the legendary editor of the City News Bureau of Chicago who mentored generations of young journalists. Paul demonstrated a keen editorial vision, guiding the newsroom with integrity and a deep respect for factual reporting and timeliness. Paul was a lifelong Chicago resident, a graduate of Austin High School and Roosevelt University. He was a U.S. Army veteran. Paul passed away in 2022.
=Happy birthday to Eckhartz Press author Doug E. Jones (February 4). We were proud to publish his latest novel Take Me Back to Chicago at the end of 2025.
=Sad news in the Chicago media world last week. Sportscaster Terry Boers passed away. Boers was a long-time on-air partner of Eckhartz Press author Dan McNeil (The Heavy Fuel Crew). When Terry passed away, Dan was interviewed about their time together, and their complicated relationship. In case you missed it, you can listen to it here.
=Just a few weeks after Dan McNeil's book about Bears history in the McCaskey era was released, the family matriarch Virginia McCaskey passed away (2/6/25). She was 102 years old when she died. Dan wrote about her extensively in I Bear Witness.
Belle & Leaving Glory for Greatness & Chili Dog MVP
=February is Black History Month and Eckhartz Press proudly has fiction and non-fiction reading choices to help celebrate it.
=Judy Ann Jamerson's haunting novel Belle is the heartbreaking story of a mother struggling with the reality of the unimaginable death of her daughter. Judy is the mother of former Chicago Bears receiver Rashied Davis. Award-winning author Bayo Ojikutu has also signed with Eckhartz Press. Look for his exciting new novel later this year.
=Lou Macaluso's biography of football star-turned-civil rights hero LaMarr Thomas (Leaving Glory for Greatness) is a such an inspirational work, it is being taught as part of LaMarr's (and Lou's) high school alma mater's (Thornton) regular curriculum. Chili Dog MVP recalls the racial struggles faced by Dick Allen, and the city of Chicago's reaction to him in that memorable summer of 1972.
RADIO HALL OF FAME
=From Feb. 1 to April 1 you may submit suggestions for possible honorees for consideration by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. We have a few suggestions for you from our stable of authors. John Records Landecker is already in there, but what about...
Mitch Michaels (Doin the Cruise)
Bobby Skafish (We Have Company)
Chet Coppock (Your Dime My Dance Floor)
Chuck Swirsky (Always a Pleasure)
Dan McNeil (I Bear Witness)
=Steve & Garry are already in there, and so is Jonathon Brandmeier, but how about these all-time greats who contributed to our book The Loop Files...
Bob Stroud
Kevin Matthews
Patti Haze
=Or these all-time greats who contributed to Landecker's book Records Truly Is My Middle Name...
Fred Winston
Tommy Edwards
Bob Sirott
=Help us remind the world that Chicago is the epicenter of all-time great radio.
=Our latest award winner, Jim Slusher, has been making the rounds discussing his Book of the Year winner To Nudge the World. He recorded an interview and will soon be featured on the Minutia Men Celebrity Interview podcast. We'll have that link for you next week.
=He was featured in the CWA's Write City E-zine.
=He was also featured in this edition of Editor & Publisher.
=Nick Digilio appeared on the CBS Chicago News at 11am on Friday with Vince Gerasole, talking about 40 Years, 40 Films.
=Birders have noticed that The Horned Lark is having a moment. It's on the cover of two birding magazines this month, and Jeff Reiter's Words on Birds column in last week's Daily Herald was all about it.
=Don't forget that Jeff Reiter (The Best of Words on Birds) will be appearing at the great birder event, Gull Frolic in Lake County, on February 15. That'll be here before you know it.
=If you live in Glen Ellyn, check out your Stroll newsletter this month. You can learn more about the Birdman of Glen Ellyn (our very own Jeff Reiter)
Additional upcoming Eckhartz Press author events. Mark your calenders...
=David Stern will be appearing
at KinoWerks (5645 N. Ravenswood in Chicago) on February 14th. He'll have a
table selling an assortment of Eckhartz Press books at their Arts Event that
day.
=Vicki Atkinson (Surviving Sue)
will be appearing at Wauconda Library (11am-12:30pm) on February 20. Vicki's
debut novel Slivers is in the pipeline, getting very close to publication on Eckhartz Press.
=Lauren LoGiudice (Inside Melania) brings her Misfit Variety show to the
Annoyance March 13. Show's at 9.
=If it seems like there is no end to the sports stars featured in Randy Merkin's book Behind the Glass, you aren't far off. For instance, Hank Aaron and Alonzo Mourning (photo), both born this week (Feb 5 & 8 respectively), each rate their own chapters. But sports stars aren't the only big names in the book. Tom Brokaw (Feb 6) and Jack Lemmon (Feb 8) are in the book too.
=Just wait until you get your hands on the upcoming Volume 2. Other non-sports stars will be in there as well, including James Caan, Carmen Electra, Larry King, Geraldo Rivera, and Jason Bateman.
Happy Anniversary!
This week in 2014 (February 8), Joel Daly got his first copy of his Eckhartz Press book (The Daly News). On this day in 2022 (February 6), Eric Litt had the same experience, getting the first copy of Oscars Biggest Mistakes. By the way, it's almost that time of year again (Academy Awards--March 15, 2026). Look for Eric to appear on the Minutia Men Celebrity Interview in the coming weeks with his Oscar picks.
=Eric also recently met fellow Eckhartz Press author Nick Digilio and exchanged books with him.
=Gloria Golec's memoir is set in Chicago's Archer Park neighborhood during the 1940s and 1950s. One of the centerpieces of that neighborhood is St. Bruno's church and school, which Gloria wrote about extensively. Sadly, this week the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that St. Bruno's school was closing down. Block Club Chicago has more.
=One of the most unique podcasts out there is Car Con Carne, where host James VanOsdol interviews his guests in his car. This week last year he had two Eckhartz Press people on with him, Ken Churilla and Jeff "Mr. Cheap" Schwartz, talking about their great book, The Flip Side.
Staying Alive is a Lot of Work
=Pat Camalliere's book is the focus of this Chicago Writes podcast hosted by Bill Turck. Pat did a great job explaining the struggles she endured, and the incredible memoir it inspired. They also went into great depth about the Chicago suburb of Lemont and why it is so important to her.
=In 2016, comedian Dobie Maxwell wrote one our best selling books, the incredibly memorable Monkey in the Middle. Dobie is currently co-hosting a podcast called Put Your Funny Where Your Mouth Is. Episode 62 came out at the end of last year, and that episode tells the tale of the bank robbery at the heart of Dobie's memoir, Monkey in the Middle.
=The anniversary of Brent Petersen's foodie novel will be next Saturday (Feb 14), but the Truffle Hunt author also wrote excellent pieces at his DestinationEatDrink substack about the inspiration that led to the novel. Here's the ultimate piece about that: How Did This All Get Started?
=Two big events in the book The
Loop Files took place this week in history. On February 6, 1981, Steve
& Garry were fired by the Loop for "violating community
standards." It was a huge shock at the time that has never been
satisfactorily explained. Also, this week in 2023, Johnny B re-emerged
to appear on WGN-TV as a mystery guest.
=Celebrating a birthday this week (February 6), former Loop late-nighter Ed Tyll. You may not like what he says, but he'll say it anyway, Ed Tyll. Ed has a book out, by the way. You can find that here.
=On the 60th anniversary (2018) of one of Chicago's most tragic fires, at Our Lady of the Angels school, veteran television reporter and producer (ABC-7, WGN-TV) Alex Burkholder released his comprehensive study of that fire, which included his well researched theory of how that fire began. WGN-TV's Steve Sanders (celebrating a birthday this week February 3) brought Alex (middle) onto the midday news to discuss it, along with one of the grown kids who survived the fire. Alex passed away in 2024.
=Rich King wrote a book in 2022 called Ike & Me, about his relationship with cameraman Richard "Ike" Isaacs. The Black & White team worked together for decades under the guidance of former WGN-TV sports director Dan Roan. Both Rich and Ike speak highly of this week's birthday boy (February 3) in the book.
=This week in 2022, The Daily Herald's Jim O'Donnell wrote about our Christmas of 2021's big hit Grammar Moses by Jim Baumann.
=This week in 2018, Lee Kingsmill appeared on Nick Digilio's show to talk about his Book of the Year finalist Safe Inside.
=May be even more relevant after a year of this administration...
=Bobby Skafish's tome about his 40 years of rock and roll encounters is like a history book of the genre, written by someone who personally met and interviewed the biggest stars imaginable. One of the greats featured in the book is celebrating a birthday this week, Graham Nash (below/February 2)
=Chet Coppock was friends with George Halas, founder of the Bears and the NFL. Chet went to every opening game for the Bears for 68 straight years. When Papa Bear died in 1983, Chet broke the story on the local news (he was doing sports at Channel 5 at the time). He also wrote about him in his Eckhartz Press book. Papa Bear was born this week (February 2) in 1895.
Sunday, February 01, 2026
Free Kicks & Minutia Men
Our latest episode. By the way, Free Kicks with Adam and Rick is now also being posted on YouTube (audio only) if you prefer getting your podcasts that way. https://t.co/YMlsK2RAfl
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) February 1, 2026
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Minutia Men Celebrity Interview
We released two this week...
This one...
Monday, January 26, 2026
Publishing Portal--January 26, 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.
=Jim Slusher's big night just happened to be the coldest night of the year (-10), but it was warm and comfy inside The Book Cellar. Thanks to the Chicago Writers Association for running a wonderful awards ceremony. Congrats to Jim for bringing home the hardware.
The Sun at the End of the Road
=Rick Kaempfer and David Stern will be moderating a virtual discussion about Tony Fitzpatrick's book (The Sun at the End of the Road) on February 6th. It's free, but you need to register here. This is the description of the event....
Tony Fitzpatrick published his essay collection, The Sun at the End of the Road, just weeks before his death. Tony was celebrated as a visual artist, radio personality, boxer, and actor, but too often his accomplishments as a writer were overlooked. He was a fantastic writer--this last book is proof of that. It's a kind of memoir told in a series of small reflective prose pieces. His publisher, Eckhartz Press, expedited the release date, and because of that Tony was able to experience a small bit of the book's success. The founders and owners of Eckhartz, Rick Kaempfer and Dave Stern, will moderate a discussion about The Sun at the End of the Road. Special guests include Thomas Dyja, Ann Filmer, and Dave Hoekstra. Registration is now open.
=The last book Tony Fitzpatrick (above) contributed to other than his own book was Nick Digilio's 40 Years, 40 Films. Tony wrote the introduction to the book just weeks before he passed away.
=On Friday, Nick made a TV appearance on CBS-2 News to promote his book. We'll post the video when we get it.
=Thanks to everyone who came out to see Nick at the Rogers Park branch of Chicago Public Library on Wednesday.
=One of Nick's chosen films from the book, The Lodge, was released on January
25, 2019. It was his choice for best film of the year in 2019. We should mention that Nick's favorite genre of film is horror.
=Thanks so much to Steve and Johnnie at WGN Radio for having Jim Elsener on their show on Saturday night. He was there to talk about his exciting new book Sirens in the Loop, which is about the history of the City News Bureau of Chicago.
=This week in 2011 (February 1), Roger Badesch was one of the people stuck on Lake Shore Drive during a horrible snowstorm. He called into WGN Radio (where he worked) and provided a truly amazing play-by-play of the mayhem until his phone battery died and he had to abandon the car. That inspired this cover photo (taken that day) for his book, which was published by Eckhartz Press in 2020.
=One of the photos in the book (below) was taken this week in 1992 (January 31). The Loop held a Blood Drive and the following Loop jocks showed up to help. (L-R: Terry Gibson, John Fisher, Wendy Snyder, Rick Kaempfer, Stan Lawrence)
.jpg)
=Another person mentioned prominently in the book, Jack Silver, is celebrating a birthday this week (January 28).
=A promotional video from Doug E. Jones about his novel...
=If you went back in time to Chicago on February 1, 1886, The Red Light district was known as Little Cheyenne. That part of town is featured in a truly memorable chapter in Robert Conlon's novel, Celtic Knot. Click on the photo to see the Cheyenne District Brothel Map (1870-1905); Creator Unknown; Permissions to use granted by Digital Research Library of Illinois History; Public Domain.
To the Men I've Loved (God Help Them)
=Congrats to Eckhartz Press author Pat Motto for her mention in the Illinois Alumni Magazine...
"Patricia A. Motto, ’69 LAS, MA ’72 LAS, published To the Men I’ve Loved (God Help Them) (Eckhartz Press, 2024). The memoir traces Motto’s infatuation with a boy in kindergarten through to her dalliance with a professional baseball player and beyond."
COMING SOON TO ECKHARTZ PRESS: Bubble Boy
=It's a hilarious memoir by Robert Forrest Williams. More information coming in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we have a cover.
Additional upcoming Eckhartz Press author events. Mark your calenders...
=Nick Digilio (40 Years, 40 Films) is hosting "Nick's Pix" at Lake Theater in Oak Park on February 11th at 7pm. This month's pick is the film Crash.
=David Stern will be appearing at KinoWerks (5645 N. Ravenswood in Chicago) on February 14th. He'll have a table selling an assortment of Eckhartz Press books at their Arts Event that day.
=Jeff Reiter (The Best of Words on Birds) will be appearing at the great birder event, Gull Frolic in Lake County, on February 15.
=Mark Wukas (The Kiss of Night) will be appearing at Welcome to the Show at the Getaway (4530 N. Lincoln Avenue) on February 16.
=Vicki Atkinson (Surviving Sue) will be appearing at Wauconda Library (11am-12:30pm) on February 20. Vicki's debut novel is coming out later this year on Eckhartz Press.
=Nick Digilio (40 Years, 40 Films) is hosting "Nick's Pix" at Lake Theater in Oak Park on March 11th at 7pm. Nick's pick for March is the film Zero Dark Thirty.
=Lauren LoGiudice (Inside Melania) brings her Misfit Variety show to the Annoyance March 13. Show's at 9.
=Robert Conlon (Celtic Knot) will be appearing at the G-man (on Clark in Chicago) on March 15.
How about a few free excerpts...
=January 27, 1756, 170 years ago, Mozart was born. Mozart is featured in the Eckhartz Press book, Back in the DDR. Sounds like it's time for a free excerpt from the novel.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=John Landecker's memoir was a Book of the Year finalist in 2013. This week in 2016 (January 29), Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner passed away. John had a great story about his brush with the band, so we offered up that section as a free except. You can read it here.
=The great thing about this book is the timelessness of it. A full five years later (this week in 2018, January 30) John Landecker appeared on WGN radio with Justin Kaufmann to talk about the book. Ironically, after Justin left the station, Landecker was named as the new host of that timeslot. Co-author Rick Kaempfer talked to him about that same book last time he was on the air with him, in the fall of 2023.
=It's true that we decided not to do another update to EveryCubEver this year (waiting until they win the World Series again). But this year we're offering free excerpts from the book surrounding the birthdays of Cubs Hall of Famers. The ultimate Cub, Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks was born on January 31, 1931. Here is his entry in EveryCubEver.
This week in Eckhartz Press history...
=Last year at this time author Ken Smoller was making the rounds. First stop was at WGN-TV. Thanks to everyone there (Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten, Pat Tomasulo. Paul Konrad, and Mike Toomey) for being gracious hosts as always.
=Dan Evans is celebrating a birthday this week (January 27). The former White Sox executive provided a blurb for Ken Smoller's book...
Last Comiskey is a profound work, professionally and personally stirring memories of a ballpark that was unique in its visuals, scents, quirks, noise, intimacy, and history. We gathered there to have fun and enjoy baseball. I’m grateful to Matt Flesch and Ken Smoller for rekindling such beautiful times.
=This week in 1989 (January 31) Warrant released their album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinkin Rich. You can guess what happened next. That's right, an in-store appearance at Flip Side. You may recognize this photo from the book...
=This week in 2012 (February 1), We released our second book ever, Down at the Golden Coin by Kim Strickland. It's a fun and quirky novel about meeting the Messiah at a laundromat.
=This week in 2019 (February 1), pre-sales began for Nose Over Toes by Janet Sutherland. It's the harrowing but inspiring tale of Janet's recovery from a brain aneurysm.
=Here's a trivia question for you. Who was the first (and last) news anchor to co-anchor a newscast in Chicago with Oprah Winfrey (celebrating a birthday this week/Jan 29)? That would be Eckhartz Press author Joel Daly, who tells that memorable tale in the pages of The Daly News. Here's the video proof...
Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars
=Bill Paige's 2017 Eckhartz Press book has a ton of great interviews with rock stars, including two born this week in history, Eddie Van Halen (January 26) and Phil Collins (January 30). That's the scribe below...
This week in 2023 (January 30), Chicago lost one of the greatest players to ever wear a Blackhawks uniform, Bobby Hull. Chuck Swirsky features Bobby in his Eckhartz Press book Always a Pleasure.
=This week in 2016 (February 1), Eckhartz Press author Dobie Maxwell debuted his new radio show, The Diabetic Show on WGTD. Just a year later he stopped by Steve Cochran's show on WGN radio to talk about his book Monkey in the Middle.
Safe Inside
=The Living Wills is the first book we ever published, and it remains one of our best selling books largely thanks to the passion of co-author Brendan Sullivan. 14 years after it's release, he is still doing appearances promoting it, including this book club from 2024 below.
Brendan: I had the pleasure of discussing "The Living Wills," the novel I wrote (with Rick Kaempfer) at another book club meeting. We discussed our unique creative writing process, as well as the plot and character development. Wonderful members of the "Let's Get Lit" club in Bolingbrook, IL. You can learn more about the novel (and/or order a copy) at the publisher, Eckhartz Press, And I'm always available to meet with any book club who wants to talk to the author. Always a fun evening. I'm a low maintenance guest. Very proud of "The Living Wills."
=In some ways Brent Petersen is the ultimate Eckhartz Press success story. Eleven years ago he came to us with a foodie novel about truffles. It's not only a wonderful novel, it helped launch a whole career for Brent. He started his own website (Destination Eat Drink) and his own podcast (Destination Eat Drink) and is now one of the foremost foodie experts in the world. For the tenth anniversary of Truffle Hunt last year, Brent used his substack (Destination Eat Drink) to highlight his novel. This piece is called The Food Critic.
Joe Jackson, Plaintiff, vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club, Defendant
