The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=One of the reasons we do this. That moment the author gets the first ever copy of his or her book. That's Bob Williams getting his first copy of Bubble Boy. It's available for pre-order now.
=The books have all gone out, so if you pre-ordered Sirens in the Loop, you should either have it already or it will be there any day.
=Jim Elsener has scheduled his book launch party. Mark it on your calendar. It will be on Thursday March 19th, from 6-8pm at Kappy's American Restuarant at 7200 W. Dempster in Morton Grove!
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=We have it on good authority that Jim also recorded an episode of Minutia Men Celebrity Interview this week. It will be posted on Wednesday.
=The Chili Dog MVP crew have been going all over the country working on their film project. Last week they were in Colorado with Goose Goosage (photo: David Fletcher and Goose). Next week they'll be in Pennsylvania. They have two events there. One in Philly (March 5), and one in Dick Allen's hometown of Wampum (March 7). We met a huge group of Wampum folks at the HOF ceremony in Cooperstown last year and they spent hours working on our pronounciation of the town...which we apparently never quite conquered.
=They've been working on this project for 4+ years now. This week in 2022, Eckhartz Press authors John Owens and Dr. David Fletcher appeared on Rick Kogan's radio show to talk about their book Chili Dog MVP. Kogan is a big White Sox fan and loved the tale about Dick Allen and the 1972 White Sox.
=Don't tell anyone this, but when Rick and Dave go to spring training on March 11, they won't be attending a White Sox spring training game. There's another team in the area they will see. Hint: Rick wrote EveryCubEver.
=Yes, it's true, Rick Kaempfer is not doing an update of EveryCubEver this season (He's done 7 already for cryin' out loud). On the other hand, he does plan on featuring every Hall of Fame Cub on or around their birthdays this year. And those entries will be from EveryCub Ever. This week there are three of them. One was mainly a Negro League star. One has his number flying on the foul pole at Wrigley. And the third one is the only player in history to have been named after a president, and portrayed in a movie by a president. Read all about them here.
=Where were you on Saturday afternoon? We were at a secret location screening of the Mob Adjacent movie with a movie mogul. More details to come.
=One of the most compelling parts of the family memoir written by the Gentile brothers is the intersection of the mob and Hollywood. For instance, stories about two people who would have been celebrating birthdays this week, Jackie Gleason (Feb 26) and Elizabeth Taylor (Feb 27) appear in the pages of Mob Adjacent.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=Here's some news for the John Landecker fans out there. John's daughter Amy Landecker has directed her first film and she will be here on March 5, along with her husband Bradley Whitford, to screen it at the Music Box theater. John Landecker will be there to moderate the discussion. We'll be there too...in the audience.
=What a fun night last Monday night at The Getaway in Lincoln Square. Mark Wukas appeared on the talk show hosted by Derek Bish. Good turn out. Great stories.
=If you missed it, don't worry there's another chance to meet him coming up. Mark Wukas will be doing a reading at CWA Live Lit readings at After Words Book Store on March 26.
=Wukas' writing hero, James T. Farrell was born on February 27, 1904. How big of a Farrell fan is Mark? This big...
=Here's one to put on your calendar. March 15th at 3pm, Bob Conlon (Celtic Knot) will be appearing at the G-man tavern on Clark Street (near Wrigley Field) to talk about his book. It will be a conversation with fellow Eckhartz Press author (and Celtic Knot endorser) Brendan Sullivan (The Living Wills). Doors open at 2pm. It's a free event, but they'd like you to RSVP here.
Oscars Biggest Mistakes & Worth a Second Look
=Eric Litt will also be appearing at the Boozy Book Fair (Printers Row Brewing, 4801 N. Austin, Noon-4pm) on February 28th (Saturday)
=This time of year is the busy season for movie expert/Eckhartz Press author Eric Litt. This week in 2022 Eric appeared on the Nick DiGilio podcast to talk about some examples from the past when the Oscars got it wrong.
=Next week he'll make his sixth appearance on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview, picking this year's Oscar winners.
=When you go to see Nick at the Museum of Broadcast Communications on March 15 (above), be sure to also stop by the "5 Decades of the Loop" exhibit there. It was curated by The Loop Files author Rick Kaempfer.
=This week last year 15 former Loopers gathered for drinks in Brookfield. See if you can spot any of them in the photo. Among them former Brandmeier show members (Artie Kennedy, Brendan Sullivan, Jimmy Mac), former Kevin Matthews show members (Cara Carriveau, Geli Corbett, Wendy Snyder), former Steve & Garry show members (Leslie Keiling, Stan Lawrence, Rick Kaempfer), former Danny Bonaduce show members (Neil Sant, Joy Masada, Joe Kraslen), former promotions gurus (Anne Marie Kennedy, Bridget Kaempfer) and former big cheese Larry Wert. All of them are in the book.
=The Loop Files has gone international, by the way. This photo was sent to us by Jim Danner with the message "A great read as we pull into Martinique!"
The Best of Words on Birds
=Nick Digilio--Nick's Pix at the Lake Theater on March 11 in Oak Park. The film will be Zero Dark Thirty.
=Lauren LoGiudice (Inside Melania) brings her Misfit Variety show to the Annoyance March 13. Show's at 9.
=CBS broadcaster James Brown is celebrating a birthday this week (February 25). James was kind enough to provide this endorsement for Randy Merkin's first Eckhartz Press book...
“While we cherish champions in the world of sports, we cheer louder for champions in the game of life. Character, integrity and honesty matter. That sums up Randy Merkin.”
=Randy's second book (Beyond the Glass) will be ready for pre-order in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information.
=Vicki Atkinson recapped her successful talk to Wauconda Library this past weekend in her blog. Some inspirational quotes are part of the presentation. Check it out.
=February 24, 1975—Humble Pie played at the International
Amphitheatre in Chicago. Naturally the Flip Side brothers were there. That's Carl & Larry Rosenbaum on either side of Steve Marriott from Humble Pie.
Ken Korber
=Korber is the king of the Eckhartz Press childrens book. We have published quite a few of them. He recently chatted with Chicken Soup for the Soul's Jack Canfield (photo) about those books, and Jack told him that his work was "akin to Chicken Soup for young readers."
=One of the Korber books in the Eckhartz Press catalogue got a great review from Prarie Book Review.
Korber’s child-friendly prose leans into the absurd, turning Marvin’s hair into an unstoppable force of chaos. The rhyme and rhythm of the text add to the escalating absurdity, making Marvin’s suffering all the more comical. His woes are exaggerated but relatable. Korber plays up the humor in Marvin’s stubbornness, while Grace steps in as the friend who sees the obvious solution. Jaime Buckley’s vibrant illustrations crank up the humor. The art doesn’t just complement the text: it amplifies it, turning Marvin’s exaggerated misery into pure visual comedy.
=Beth Jacobellis launched her debut novel this week in 2018, Cameo. Here she is getting her very first copy of the book.
=An incredible example of life imitating art. In 2023 Will Wagner released his novel Talking 'Bout My Generation, which was about what happened to Pete Townshend's guitar after he tossed it into the crowd at Woodstock. This week in 2024, Paul McCartney's bass was returned to him after being lost in 1961.
Leslie Keiling
=This week in 2019, just a few weeks after Pat Colander's death, Lit Pop published a wonderful tribute to the author of Hugh Hefner's First Funeral.
=How interesting was Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock's life? This week in 2014 (Feb 27) he told the tale of the time he wrestled a bear (photo). He also knew how to promote. I'm sure Tony Randall (born Feb 26) and Jack Klugman were happy to have his help.
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=This week in 2014, Joel Daly was making the publicity rounds promoting his Eckhartz Press memoir about his legendary television career. This is the audio of his interview with WGN radio, along with a photo below.
=Here's an example of Joel in action from 1983, reporting on the biggest television event from the 1980s, the final episode of M*A*S*H. How big was it? Joel was reporting for Channel 7 (ABC) about a show that was airing on Channel 2 (CBS). Still one of the most watched shows in history (2/28/83).
=This week (Feb 28) is the anniversary of late WGN radio morning man Bob Collins' birth. Chuck Swirsky worked with Collins for many years and writes about him in the pages of his Eckhartz Press book Always a Pleasure. He also tells that story in this podcast. Another one of Swirsky's favorites is also celebrating a birthday this week (February 25), former Bull Joakim Noah.
Jerry Reinsdorf
=Would you believe that White Sox & Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf turns 90 years old this week (Feb 25)? He also appears in three different Eckhartz Press books. You'll find stories and photos of him in Rich King's book Ike & Me, Chet Coppock's book Your Dime My Dance Floor and Chuck Swirky's book Always a Pleasure.
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=This week in 2014, Eckhartz Press author Chuck Quinzio was getting some love from the NABAT Union.
=This week in 2017, New City debuted in Chicago. The Chicago publication gave this wonderful testimonial to Donald G. Evans' collection of short stories An Off-White Christmas
- With offhand grace and humor, Evans captures the characters’ burning desires to escape from in-between stages of their lives and their disappointment at the outcome. Illustrations by Hannah Jennings throughout the book resemble ornaments that could hang on a Christmas tree.
