Sunday, June 07, 2026
Saturday, June 06, 2026
Monday, June 01, 2026
Publishing Portal--June 1, 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.
=This product of the Chicago Writers Association is going to be sold at their Chicago Writes writers conference later this month, but it's actually available right now at Eckhartz Press. The list of people who contributed to it is pretty amazing. Contributors include: Abdulkareem Abdulkareem, Damiana Andonova, Caitlin C. Baker, Jason Battle, Jim Bellanca, Autumn Bettinger, Dom Blanco, Melvin Brown, Dan Burns, Daniel Carbaugh, Jennifer Chapman, Tim Chapman, Albert DeGenova, James Drummond, Doreen Duffy, Dorothy Garcia, Aruna Gurumurthy, Elizabeth Hereford, Antonia Hildebrand, Stephanie Iancu, Anastasia Jill, Melissa Jornd, Laurinda Lind, Richard Luftig, Alison McBain, Tom Meyer, Debasish Mishra, Ann Mumaw, Lana Orndoff, Peter Pawinski, Amy Rains, David Rogers, Purbasha Roy, Heather Sager, Mary Salisbury, Nnadi Samuel, Samuel Samba, Kay Severinsen, Jack Silberberg, Paul Smith, Hillary Steinberg, Kelly J. Sullivan, Sam Szanto, PJ Temple, Jeffery Allen Tobin, Cesar Toscano, Jennifer Vasicek and Lee Clark Zumpe. Congrats to editor Maggie Smith for putting it all together. Cover photo by Randy Richardson.
=Speaking of the Chicago Writers Association, last year this week New City named the people who run the CWA in their Lit 50 list, Randy Richardson (a 3-time, soon-to-be 4-time Eckhartz Press author) and Samantha Hoffman. Congrats to those two. They definitely deserve the attention and praise.
The Sun at the End of the Road
=Tony Fitzpatrick may be gone, but his books like The Sun at the End of the Road and his artwork will live on forever. The Sun Times had a nice piece last week about the auction of his "uniquely Chicago" artwork. Read about it here.
=It's hard to describe what makes Bubble Boy author Bob "Wilbur" Williams so unique, although this new interview does a pretty good job of showing the many different sides of this talented author.
=The Loop exhibit at the Museum of Broadcast Communications will have a new neighbor soon. The Museum acquired the entire set from Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, and it will be displayed very soon as part of their Evolution of Late Night exhibit. Honored to be in the same neighborhood. Read the full story here.
=This week in 1980 (June 2), this commercial for the Loop debuted. It starred the face of the Loop, the stunning actress/model Lorelei Shark. Lorelei naturally appears in the book The Loop Files. A framed poster of her is also part of the Loop exhibit at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
=This week in 1986 (June 6), three of the biggest stars in Loop history (Johnny B & Steve & Garry) appeared on stage together at Poplar Creek. The concert was a sell-out. This photo of Brandmeier and Dahl was taken backstage, and is featured in the book.
=One of the people featured in The Loop Files is Mike Veeck who was instrumental in the creation of Disco Demolition. ABC-7 spoke to Mike, along with his son Night Train, because they are back in baseball. Watch it here.
=The movie is coming to Chicago later this month.
=This is a momentous week in Chili Dog MVP history. It was this week in 1972 (June 4) that Dick Allen was on the bench for the second game of a double header, and was in the clubhouse having a chili-dog, when his manager went looking for him to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth. Allen got dressed, walked up to home plate, and slugged the game winning homer. That's the reason the book is titled the way it is. One of the co-authors, David Fletcher, appeared on this podcast to describe the story.
=On the 50th anniversary of that moment (2022), the White Sox pre-game show talked about it as well...
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=Speaking of 50th anniversaries, the latest issue of Illinois Entertainer came out today, and features a write up about the 50th anniversary of John Records Landecker's momentous day at Woodfield Mall with John Travolta. Read it here.
=This week in 2010 (June 3), the creator of the Trivial Pursuit game, Chris Haney, passed away in Canada. John Landecker was a big star in Canada during the early days of the game, and turned it into a radio masterpiece. He writes about it Records Truly Is My Middle Name, but you can hear an example of that radio feature here.
=Records Truly Is My Middle Name contributor Al Rosen is celebrating a birthday this week (June 7). Al was Landecker's engineer at WLS during his early years in Chicago and tells some incredible stories about the way the Radio Hall of Famer approached his craft. Here's one of them...
I started working with John that first night, and as he's speaking on the air he looks at me and points to his headphones, something's not right.
Now before working at WLS I had been an engineer board operator at WABC in
So I tried to increase the level in John's headphones, and then brought the music level down a little so he could hear himself better. After the first break he told me it still wasn't right, so in the next stop set I tried again, lowering the music level even more. John had this frustrated look on his face and told me the level was still wrong. I had John's mic going way into the red on the meter and the music level down around 40 percent so I didn't see how I could make him any louder.
I will never forget what John told me next. He said, "No no, I want the MUSIC louder and my mic brought down! I want to be INSIDE the record!!"
My mind started reeling. For one thing, No DJ had ever told me to bring his voice DOWN, and second it DID sound amazing. When John did an introduction over the intro of a
Sirens in the Loop and The Kiss of Night
=How about this for an anniversary. On June 1, 1890, City News Bureau was founded. That's such a momentous occasion we have two books about that esteemed organization, one non-fiction (Sirens in the Loop) and one fiction (The Kiss of Night).
=Next month we'll feature both of them in a double event. Mark Wukas (The Kiss of Night) and Jim Elsener (Sirens in the Loop) are co-hosting a "City News Book Gala" on Saturday, July 11 from 5-7 pm at the Edgewater Historical Society Museum - 5358 N. Ashland, Chicago.
=What makes Mark Wukas tick? He sent us this note shortly after his book was released...
I paid a debt of gratitude this weekend and left a copy of The Kiss of Night on James T. Farrell’s grave in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. If you’ve read any of the Studs Lonigan trilogy, you recognized how much he influenced my vision of Chicago.
=On June 3, 1987, the film The Untouchables was released. Doug E. Jones features a quote from that movie to describe some of the actions in his novel Take Me Back to Chicago:
“They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way.”
=A chance to hear Bob Conlon is coming soon. He'll be on Chicago Irish Radio on June 13th with Siobhan O'Connor. The show streams around the world on Saturday mornings @www.1490.am.
=A year ago Bob Conlon was just getting started selling his novel Celtic Knot. We had no way of knowing it would be one of our top sellers for the year. Bob is a selling-machine. It helps when the book itself is excellent. This week last year he conducted his very first interview about the book. Read the entire interview here.
=In August Bob has a very big event coming. More details in the next few weeks. A tease of it below...
=A few incredibly important moments in Flip Side history occurred this week over the years. On June 7, 1976, Carl and Larry Rosenbaum opened their biggest Flip Side Records location in Chicagoland, at 2348 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. Most of the big in-store record events in the next decade took place at this location, including this one with Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw...
=Just one year later (June 4, 1977), the biggest concert in Flip Side's history of concert promotion was staged at Soldier Field. It was called, The Super Bowl of Rock. Look at the sea of humanity.
=Both of these events, of course, are thoroughly reported in the book The Flip Side.
=We had the launch party for Last Comiskey in 2024. In case you missed it, author Ken Smoller has posted a bunch of great pictures and written a blog post about the event. Check that out here. Or, if you prefer to watch the video of the panel discussion from that launch party...
=Or, you can listen to this podcast interview...
Joe Jackson Plaintiff v Chicago American Baseball Club
=Baseball recently lifted the lifetime ban on Shoeless Joe Jackson. Authors David Fletcher and Jacob Pomrenke appeared on Ed Lynch's podcast to talk about their book, a trial transcript of the Shoeless Joe Jackson trial from 100 years ago.
=This week the whole world celebrates International Cheese Day (June 4). What does that have to do with the great Eckhartz Press book Grammar Moses? The book includes the single best cheese joke ever told by humankind. Author Jim Baumann was forced to tell it during this podcast interview.
=Lee Kingsmill's book Safe Inside was an honorable mention winner for the CWA Book of the Year in 2018. This week in 2018, it debuted as an e-book.
"Brilliant satire! I got a paper cut from the sarcasm. I wish I could say it was great fiction, but having worked in radio, I think it’s just really funny non-fiction. The reality in between the laughs will scare the hell out of you."
=This week in 2021 (June 7), author Margaret Larkin got her first copy of her debut novel Wicker Park Wishes. Eckhartz Press publisher David Stern was on hand to snap a photo of that moment...
=This week in 2020, author Roger Badesch appeared on WGN Radio with Rick Kogan to discuss his new memoir, The Unplanned Life. This is a photo of Roger with the two Ricks. Eckhartz Press publisher Kaempfer on the left, and the legendary Kogan on the right.
=This week in 2014, Judge Michael Ian Bender appeared on this podcast to discuss the information that would form the basis of his Eckhartz Press book, Protecting Children. It would go on to become a top ten book in its Amazon category.
Recalled to Life
=This week in 2013 (June 3), the first novel from author Dan Burns was released via Eckhartz Press. The book was called Recalled to Life. Dan has gone on to write several more books, and has even written and produced a short film, but it all started here at Eckhartz Press. He is also one of the featured writers in the new Write City Review, Volume 5. (Available now!)
To the Men I've Loved (God Help Them!)
=One of the endearing features of Pat Motto's memoir To the Men I've Loved (God Help Them!) is the musicial accompanient suggestion at the beginning of each chapter. This week in history (June 4, 1965), the suggested musical accompanient of Chapter Three—(I can’t get no) Satisfaction--was released by The Rolling Stones.
Printers Row Lit-Fest
=For years the Printer's Row Litfest was held in June (It's now in September). One year (June 6, 2015), three Eckhartz Press authors were the headliners (L-R: Rick Kaempfer, Joel Daly, John Records Landecker)
The Hidden Shamrock
=This week in 2012 was the first-ever multiple author appearance by Eckhartz Press authors. At the time, there were only three books available via Eckhartz Press. The four authors in this photo (along with moderator Mary Beth Horner) appeared on stage in Lincoln Park at the Hidden Shamrock. Left to right: Horner, Brendan Sullivan, Rick Kaempfer, Kim Strickland, Randy Richardson.) The three books available at Eckhartz Press at that time were The Living Wills, Down at the Golden Coin, and Cheeseland. All three are still available on our website.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Publishing Portal--May 26, 2025
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 PARTY THIS WEEK!
=Vicki Atkinson is gathering people to the Barrington White House (145 W. Main Street, Barrington) this Thursday night May 28 from 6:30-8pm for the official unveiling of her debut novel Slivers. What is Slivers about? Well, according to the back cover of the book...
In a single week in the summer of 1973, a quiet suburban neighborhood implodes when generations of mystical deceit become too much to bear. Drawn to the web of secrets and lies, the other worldly slivers refuse to be ignored, pushing one family to the brink.
=Vicki will do a reading, a meet-and-greet, and sign and sell copies of the book. Come on out if you can!
=An informative Q&A with Randy Merkin about his new book. 5 questions, 5 answers.
=If you're interested in interviewing Randy about some of these great stories, Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer (Rick@eckhartzpress.com) can help set that up.
COMING SOON!
=Another brand new Eckhartz Press book...
=What will it be about? 
Recovery is not a destination
— it's a transformation. This book is your compass for navigating the 12 Steps,
empowering you to rise above your past and step into the life you were always
meant to live. With warmth, wisdom, and a touch of humor, each page brings you
closer to the full recovery that is already in your reach. Woven within the
guidance are true stories from the fellowship of AA — deeply personal,
beautifully human, and proof that no matter how far you've fallen, a new life
is possible. You don't have to walk this road alone. The path forward starts
here.
=OK, apparently this is a big-ticket item. I'm told hundreds of tickets have already been reserved for this debut...
=Speaking of The Kiss of Night, the WBEZ (NPR) radio show Here and Now did a phone-in segment about good summer reading books. Well, lucky for us, a reader and fan of Mark Wukas's The Kiss of Night called the show and gushed about his great novel. Thanks to that fan, and to WBEZ!
=It shouldn't have come as a surprise. The Kiss of Night is still receiving enthusiastic 5-star reviews on Amazon. Here's an example...
As a Chicago City News Bureau veteran with a command of the classics, Wukas elevates the crime novel genre with graceful prose as his street reporter protagonist leads us through twists and turns in the city's less travelled, but always fascinating, precincts. The resolution at the end of his tale cleverly ties up all the loose ends in an unexpectedly high-minded way
=Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see Jeff Reiter at the Wheaton Public Library last week. It was a great turnout (about a hundred people).
=For those of you Words on Birds fans out there, be sure to check out the spring issue of Illinois Audubon. Jeff has contributed an article called "Rare Birders" to the magazine. It's a highly recommended read (unfortunately currently not on-line).
=How about a bird picture? Can you identify this one?*
=Here's another event coming soon. On August 7th, Robert Conlon is doing an Author Presentation at Embassy Public House on Taylor St. during the Chicago Irish Society groups night. Wait a minute. Conlon is Irish?
=If you are putting your calendar together for June, here's another date to add. Nick's Pix comes back to the Lake Theater in Oak Park on Wednesday, June 10th at 7pm. Nick Digilio will be screening one of the great film musicals: South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut from 1999. It's a big screen viewing followed by discussion, trivia, and prizes. Oh, and of course, your chance to buy Nick's great book 40 Years, 40 Films.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name & Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars
=Steve Nicks celebrates a birthday this week (May 26), and she is featured in two Eckhartz Press books. Records Truly is My Middle Name author John Landecker hung out with her one night at the Playboy Mansion on State Parkway in Chicago (photo below), and Bill Paige interviewed her for Illinois Entertainer, which is featured in his book of interviews, Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars.
=This week last year the Vanished Chicagoland podcast featured an episode about The Flip Side record stores. Host Pete Kastanes has passed away, but his words live on. You can listen to it here.
=A few key Cubsessions birthdays this week. Cubs announcer Pat Hughes (May 27) rates an entire chapter in the book with his account of what it was like to announce the World Series winning moment. In addition, two Cubs greats made appearances at Cubsessions book signings, Carlos Zambrano (June 1) and Randy Hundley (June 1). Both are shown in photos with Cubsessions co-author Randy Richardson below.
=Hundley also appeared on the podcast by Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave. You can listen to that here.
I Bear Witness & Behind the Glass
=Dan McNeil's book I Bear Witness features a few interviews with Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. Brian is celebrating a birthday this week (May 25)
=When Joel Daly passed away in 2020, WGN Radio posted a few of the interviews he did on their airwaves over the years. One of them was with Steve & Johnnie from this week in 2005 (May 26). You can still listen to it here.
=This week in 2020, Roger Badesch was making the rounds promoting his new memoir. Among his media stops, Matt Bubala's show on WGN Radio (May 26).
=Who wouldn't want this endorsement? It happened to Life Behind the Camera author Chuck Quinzio this week (May 27) in 2014. Yes, that is Sting.
=It's a big week for rock star birthdays for some reason, which means it's a big week for Bobby Skafish's book We Have Company. Three rock stars celebrating birthdays this week get the full chapter treatment in Bobby's book. Crowded House's Neil Finn (May 27), guitarist Gary Brooker (May 29), and Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood (June 1). That's Ronnie on the left, and Skafish in the middle of the photo. Bernard Fowler is on the right.
=Chet Coppock attended every Chicago Bears opening day game for 68 years in a row. Naturally he became acquainted with the great Bears running back Gale Sayers. He writes a whole chapter about him in his book Your Dime My Dance Floor. Gale was born this week in 1943.
=Bill Walton passed away this week (May 27) in 2024. He and Chuck Swirsky knew each other well in the basketball world, and Bill made an appearance in Always a Pleasure.
=Former Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan obviously dealt with Chicago Bulls radio play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky on a regular basis. It wasn't a big surprise that Billy also appeared in Chuck's book Always a Pleasure. It's Billy's birthday this week (May 30)
=This week in 2018 (May 31), the Chicago Writers Association came to us and asked us to publish their literary journal. Little did we know this would just be the beginning. Since then they have asked us to publish four more! Volume 5 debuts in June.
=The seventh edition of EveryCubEver is still selling well.
=This week in 2021, Rick Kaempfer appeared on John Landecker's show on WGN Radio talking about the 3rd edition of his book EveryCubEver. He even recites a poem he wrote for the book. Worth a listen. It's about Harry Steinfeldt, the forgotten third baseman in the famous Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance infield. You can read it below...
The poem by Franklin P. Adams definitely enhanced,
The Hall of Fame chances of Tinker, Evers & Chance,
But the other name in that infield has been lost to time,
Just because Harry Steinfeldt’s name didn’t rhyme,
He hit for more power, he drove in more runs,
He made fewer errors, and when the game was to be won,
They leaned on Harry Steinfeldt, the World Series MVP,
Though his name was a mouthful, depriving immortality
=This week in 2020, Keith Conrad's novel Righteous Might was released. The science fiction thriller about time travel and the attack on Pearl Harbor is still available at Eckhartz Press. In fact, exactly one year later the audio book of Righteous Might was released as well.
=This week in 2021, Wicker Park Wishes author Margaret Larkin sat down for this Q&A about her recently released book.
.jpeg)
=One of the pioneers in the world of Signature Shoes was New York Jets star quarterback Joe Namath, who is celebrating a birthday this week (May 31). He is featured prominently in Ryan Trembath's book about the celebrity shoe craze.
=Dobie Maxwell's incredible book about a real-life bank robbery has gotten praise from across the spectrum. One of the biggest fans is Toronto radio personality Jerry Agar (May 31 birthday boy). Here's what he said about the book...
“It is a sad fact of the human condition that we are entertained by the misfortune of others. That is why Dobie Maxwell calls himself “Mr. Lucky.” He takes the body blows that life has dealt him and makes them into stories for your amusement. None is better than the story told here of two life-long friends – guys who counted on one another – gone wrong with bank robberies, the FBI, police lineups and all the intrigue of crime story fiction which became all too real for Maxwell. If your best friend’s actions had you in the crosshairs of the FBI, what would you do? Read the story, for Dobie’s answer.”
=This week in 2015 (June 1), Brent Petersen made a recipe featured in his foodie novel Truffle Hunt at the farmer's market in Austin, Texas...
*The bird in the picture above is a Kirtland's Warbler, America's rarest songbird. This is the time of year to see them in north central Michigan (May & June). Photo by Jerry Goldner.