The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
Happy Birthday!
=Three Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating birthdays this week. Grun Weiss Vor co-author Todd "Fritz" Schneider (June 9), Doin the Cruise co-author Ken Churilla (June 12) and Inside Melania author Lauren LoGuidice. Happy birthday to all of them! (Photos: Todd with co-author Rick Kaempfer, Ken with co-author Mitch Michaels, Lauren with her book.)
Happy Anniversary!
=This week in 2014, Bruce Bohrer's Best Seat in the House was released by Eckhartz Press. This diary of a Wrigley Field usher was the first book by Eckhartz Press to be sold at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
=This week in 2019 (June 9), the co-authors of Embrace Retirement held their book launch party in the Northwest suburbs. A great time was had by all...
=This week in 2022 (June 10), Duane Scott Cerny released his second book Vintage Confidential. He told the story of what inspired this memorable book on this podcast.
=This week in 2017, Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and Dave Stern met at the London House in downtown Chicago to finalize the publishing agreement with Mitch Michaels and Ken Churilla. Luckily esteemed Chicago photographer Barry Butler was there to photograph the moment.
=This week in 2019 (June 11), EveryCubEver debuted this video ad...
=Former Cubs reliever Pedro Strop is in the book. Author Rick Kaempfer met Pedro that year and was able to give him a copy of the book.
=This week in 1873, future Cubs player Charlie Dexter was born (June 15). Charlie didn't only get a chance to play for the Cubs (1900-1902), he was a genuine hero off-the-field as well. Charlie was in the Iroquois Theater when it began to burn down in 1903, and kicked open a door to save the lives of several theater -goers who otherwise would have perished in the fire. 600 people died that day.
Printer's Row Lit Fest
=Before the pandemic, the Printer's Row Lit Fest was held every year in June (it's now in September). Here are a few photos from 2014, featuring Eckhartz Press authors Joel Daly, Chuck Quinzio, and Dan Burns.
=Bruce Elliott is a local treasure celebrating a birthday this week (June 10). He's a writer and artist, a saloon owner, and a big fan of Pat Colander's book. Here's what he said it about it...
Pat is a very talented writer. Unfortunately she cut back on her serious writing to run magazines. She was a girl-wonder when she worked at the Chicago Tribune in the late seventies. The veteran male reporters hated her because she could out-write and out produce them with one hand tied behind her back and her eyes closed. She did feature articles, reviews and celebrity interviews. Now she has put together a collection of her very best work from the 1970s and early 1980s. The stories age well.
Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind
=This week in 2011, The Chicago Reader wrote a review of Vicki Quade's play Late Night Catechism that helped vault her play into the spotlight ( Review of Late Nite Catechism by The Reader ) She has done many more plays since then, and also penned a book for Eckhartz Press about her everyday encounters with her fellow Chicagoans. It's called Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=This week in 2013 (June 12), one of the WLS colleagues John Landecker writes about in his memoir passed away. Bill Bailey appeared on the air after Landecker most nights. This is a free excerpt from the book about Bill.
=This week in 2023, author Rick Kaempfer attended a book club in Rolling Meadows that was reading his book Father Knows Nothing. Here is a photo from that night...
=This week in 1992, the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship. Chet Coppock was there and told a few great stories about it in his book Your Dime My Dance Floor.
=Hall of Fame basketball announcer Marv Albert is celebrating a birthday this week (June 12). Marv appears in Chuck Swirsky's book, Always a Pleasure.
=This week in 2007 (June 12), Rick Kaempfer's first novel $everance received an incredible array of reviews from people in the broadcasting industry. You can read all of them here, or just glance at these examples below...
“Brilliant satire! I got a paper cut from the sarcasm. I wish I could say it was great fiction, but having worked in radio, I think it’s just really funny non-fiction. The reality in between the laughs will scare the hell out of you.”
“I thought this novel was just going to be an amusing story about radio. But the way Kaempfer has woven in elements of all media and politics is masterful, to say nothing of insightful, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny!”
“Rick Kaempfer’s “$everence” is whiplash-fast, choke-on-your-coffee funny, and ultimately frightening. Kaempfer has seen it all in the radio business, and has some dire predictions for the rest of the media, too. It’s the summer’s must-discuss beach read – and probably a sign of the apocalypse.”
=Since the book Chili Dog MVP chronicles the story of the 1972 White Sox, naturally it also covers the story of 1972 White Sox player Tom Egan, who is celebrating a birthday this week (June 9)
