Publishing Portal--July 6, 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.

40 Years, 40 Films

=Happy birthday to Eckhartz Press author Nick Digilio. Today (July 6) is his birthday!

=You can meet him this week (Wednesday July 8) at the Lake Theater in Oak Park. Nick will be showing this month's pick that night, the film Inception. He'll also be signing and selling copies of his book 40 Years, 40 Films.

=Here's another chance to see Nick. This is an exciting one. He'll be appearing at Flashback Weekend at the end of the month (July 31-August 2). What is Flashback Weekend? Oh, no big whoop, just the biggest horror movie convention in the country. Take a look at who else will be there...

Svengoolie

The Cast of Scream 7

David Naughton & Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London)

David Arquette

Dermit Mulroney

William Katt 

Steven Weber

And many more. 

=Check out the full list here. You'll notice Nick is on the list. I suspect Nick will have lots of information about his book coming out this Halloween season. Here's the cover...

The Best of Words on Birds

=Another chance to see Jeff Reiter talk about his favorite subject: Birds. He'll be in Glen Ellyn tomorrow night (July 7) at the Glen Ellyn Public Library (400 Duane Street) from 6-7pm. More information about his appearance here. If you have any interest in the subject at all, Jeff's talks are highly recommended. He'll also be signing and selling copies of his great birding book The Best of Words on Birds.

Sirens in the Loop & The Kiss of Night

=A note from Sirens in the Loop author Jim Elsener...

The next book signing of "Sirens in the Loop - A History of City News Bureau" will be Saturday, July 11, from 5-7 pm at the Edgewater Historical Society Museum at 5358 N. Ashland Av., compliments of CNB veteran John Holden, a historical society board member. I will be joined by veteran journalist Mark Wukas, author of "The Kiss of Night" - A novel based on Mark's experiences at CNB.  Call it a City News Book Gala evening. Mark and I will begin our "author discussion" at 5:45 p.m.   We will be providing refreshments. I hope we will see you then.

=That's this coming Saturday night! Come on out and meet these two guys (Jim on the left, Mark on the right).

Celtic Knot

=This is a big month for Robert Conlon and his book Celtic Knot. First of all, it's the anniversary of Tim Conlon's birth (Robert's grandfather). He was born on July 7, 1878. Never in his wildest dreams did he think his life story would be turned into a fascinating novel one day.

=There are two big Celtic Knot events coming up this month as well...

=On July 21, Conlon will be doing a talk for the West Suburban Irish Mission at the Naperville VFW (908 Jackson, Naperville) at 6:30pm. A pretty nice-sized crowd has already registered to attend. Bob does a great presentation about the book, which is like a journey through the history of Chicago. 

=One of the famous moments in Chicago history covered in the book is the Eastland Disaster in the Chicago River (1915). The anniversary of that event is July 24, and Robert will be on the WGN TV morning show at 8:15 AM that day talking about it. He will also be participating in the  Eastland ceremony that day at noon with the Eastland Historical Society on the Chicago River. (Photo of the Eastland Disaster from Bob's book)

The 12 Steps and Tales of Fellowship

=There's a good chance that Tom Serritella will never forget what happened to him last week...

Sarasota

=August will be the month to meet Sarasota author Richard Reeder. He already has three events on his schedule. Add them to your calendar and come out to hear Richard talk about his incredible novel, which is part civil rights tale/part baseball story. 

=Here are the details... 

*Sunday, August 9, 2:00 PM at Edgewater Public Library in Chicago.

*Wednesday, August 26, at 5:00 PM at the Cliff Dwellers, 200 S. Michigan.

*Monday, August 31, at 7:00 PM at Max & Benny’s in Northbrook 

=Note that the baseball player on the cover is wearing the 1961 White Sox uniform.

  

Printer's Row Litfest

=We cherish our relationship with the Chicago Writers Association. We published The Write City Review, Volume 5 for them just a few weeks ago, and it will be available at the Printers Row Lit Fest.

=Several of our authors will also be signing and selling their books in the CWA tent at this year's Printer's Row Lit Fest (September 12/13). Among them: Gloria Golec (South Side Memories), Robert Conlon (Celtic Knot), Vicki Atkinson (Slivers and Surviving Sue), Russ Fahrner (Face Your Monster, Chicago the Great Retirement Resource, and Embrace Retirement), Jim Slusher (To Nudge the World), Nick Digilio (40 Years, 40 Films), Robert Williams (Bubble Boy), and Tony Fitzpatrick's family (The Sun at the End of the Road). When we get closer to the Litfest, we'll give you exact times and dates.

 

South Side Memories

=Got this note from Gloria Golec, author of South Side Memories...

    In my recently published memoir, South Side Memories, I have written about St. Bruno Grammar School, which I attended for 12 years.  My brother, who was born in 1939, also attended for 12 years so the school has been a fixture in the Archer Heights neighborhood for a long time. When I attended a reunion in 2015, the photos of all the graduation classes were posted and I marveled at such an archive of history.  On the IPad on our tables, a rotating picture of me receiving an award in 8th grade kept flashing past me. For a few moments, time stopped and the school seemed impervious to change.  Then a few years ago St. Bruno School combined with St. Richard  School and on February 5, 2026, it was announced that the combined school is closing.  The news surprised me and saddened me, but I am grateful for my memories. They had some final get together for St. Bruno and St. Richard and posted some pictures on FB.  They also posted some old photos, but I was not in them.   I did find one from my second grade.  I am the second row from the right, 6th down. St. Bruno opened in 1926.  I'm proud to be part of its legacy but sad to see it close.

Chili Dog MVP

=Did you catch Richard Allen Jr. on WGN-TV recently?

=The documentary My Father Dick Allen, which is based on the Chili Dog MVP book, also got a nice review this week.

=The video of the panel discussion was also posted on YouTube...

=Two members of the 1972 White Sox have birthdays this week. The late slugging third baseman Bill Melton (July 7) and second baseman Mike Andrews (July 9). Naturally, both are featured in the pages of Chili Dog MVP.

Last Comiskey

=While we're on the subject of White Sox birthdays, it's also the birthday of former White Sox outfielder Lance Johnson (July 6). Lance (One Dog) is featured prominently in Ken Smoller's book Last Comiskey. (Photo: Ken holding the book)

EveryCubEver

=This year Rick Kaempfer didn't write an update of EveryCubEver, but he did promise to publish excerpts from the book for Hall of Fame Cubs on their birthdays. Would you believe there were three of them born this week? Billy Herman (July 7, 1909), Hank O'Day (July 8, 1859), and Andre Dawson (July 10, 1954). Their entries from the book are below...

=Billy Herman 1909–1992 (Cubs 1931-1941)

He was named William Jennings Bryan Herman after the famed orator, and this Billy had an incredible big league career. He was a 10-time All-Star in 15 big league seasons (and his first two years, the All-Star game hadn’t been invented yet). He was considered the best hit and run man to ever play the game. Billy Herman still holds the Cubs record for most hits on Opening Day. He got five in 1936. His lifetime batting average was .304. He led the league in hits, doubles, triples, and sacrifices, but was even better known for his glove. In his 15 years as a second baseman, he led the league in putouts seven times, not to mention leading the league in assists, fielding percentage, and range. And he was elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1975. 

    But sadly, Herman didn’t spend his entire career with the Cubs. The team somehow traded him to the Dodgers in 1941. Leo Durocher, the Dodgers manager at the time, tells how this happened in his book Nice Guys Finish Last. He was traded to the Dodgers at four in the morning. According to Durocher, who got this information directly from his GM (MacPhail), the trade was made during a night of drinking. MacPhail was invited to the suite of the Cubs GM Jim Gallagher when the Cubs were in New York. MacPhail was a well-known drunk, but he figured out pretty quickly that Gallagher and manager Jimmy Wilson were trying to get him drunk to talk trade. So, instead of drinking the brandy, MacPhail only pretended to drink it while he was actually pouring it out in flower pots, toilet bowls, and wherever else he could. Meanwhile, every time the Cubs poured MacPhail a drink, they also poured themselves one. Instead of getting him drunk, they got themselves drunk. By 4 AM MacPhail had acquired the best second baseman in baseball in exchange for a backup outfielder and a utility infielder. The deal was put in writing on the back of an envelope. And yes, MacPhail’s grandson later became the president and general manager of the Cubs: Andy MacPhail. 

    Historical Note: On the day the German army occupied the Sudetenland (1938), Billy had four hits to help the Cubs clinch the National League pennant.

=Hank O’Day 1859–1935 (Cubs manager 1914)

He was the umpire who made the most controversial call in baseball history…the play that became known as “The Merkle Boner.” The NY Giants never forgave him for favoring the Cubs on that play, and were especially suspicious of him because he was born and raised in Chicago (although he played for the Giants in his playing days). In 1914, that call looked even more suspicious when Hank O’Day was hired by the Cubs to manage their team. Not only did they hire O’Day, they hired him to replace beloved Cub Johnny Evers, who owner Charles Murphy had run out of town. Evers spent the 1914 season managing (and playing for) the Boston Braves. The Braves went to the World Series. The Cubs finished in fourth place, 16 ½ games behind the Braves. O’Day’s managing career with the Cubs lasted exactly one season. He went back to his original job…National League umpire. He remained in that job until 1927. He was recently (2013) elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame (as an umpire).

=Andre Dawson 1954-- (Cubs 1987-1992)

Andre Dawson was a fan favorite with the Cubs from 1987- 1992. Warren Cromartie, one of Andre’s teammates with the Expos, explained Andre’s nickname in his autobiography: “Andre’s nickname was the ‘Hawk’ because his facial features resembled a hawk’s. He had a body like one, too.” The Cubs only got him because the owners were colluding to keep salaries down before the 1987 season, and Dawson said he would play for the Cubs for any amount they wanted to give him. After playing on the unforgiving turf in Montreal, he was desperate to play on the natural grass of Wrigley Field. The Cubs got him for the bargain basement price of $500,000 (he later recovered the salary he should have earned when the Players Association won a significant judgment against the owners for collusion.) Andre was MVP that year for a last-place team: the first player ever to accomplish that feat. Andre was also an important part of the Cubs team that went to the playoffs in 1989. Unfortunately for him and his teammates, Dawson was hurt at the end of that year and had a horrendous playoff series, hitting only .105, and striking out six times. On May 22, 1990, he set a major league record for intentional walks received in one game when he got five in a 16-inning contest. Dawson tied for the NL league in intentional walks that year with 21 – half his walk total for he year. At the end of the 1990 season he stole his 300th base, making him a member of the exclusive 300/300 club. His stats are comparable to guys like Billy Williams and Al Kaline, and he absolutely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Dawson was inducted into the hall in 2010. He ended his career with more hits than any other player born in Florida.

    Historical note: On the day of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine (1986), Andre was the hitting star for the Expos and helped beat his future Cubs team 4-2 in Wrigley Field.

=Connor McKnight is not only a birthday boy this week (July 12), he's also a White Sox announcer seen here pointing to a Cubs book. Must be a pretty incredible book. (Mark Grote is also in the picture, holding the book)

Ringo Starr

=An actual Beatle, Ringo Starr, is celebrating a birthday this week (July 7). Ringo is featured in at least four different Eckhartz Press books. There's a great story about him in The Loop Files, he's mentioned several times in Bobby Skafish's We Have Company, he is interviewed in Bill Paige's book Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars, and this photo is in Mitch Michaels' book Doin The Cruise...(that's Mitch right next to Ringo)

=Ringo is also mentioned in Rick Kaempfer's first book, The Radio Producer's Handbook. In that book, Rick explains how he managed to acquire this incredible autograph...

Two more Eckhartz Press author birthdays this week....

To the Men I've Loved

=Patricia Motto's birthday is July 9. Happy Birthday Pat! She is the author of To the Men I've Loved. This photo of her from back in the day (with White Sox players Wilbur Wood and Jay Johnstone) is in the book.

=This week in 2024 she was out and about promoting To the Men I've Loved. Here's a great primer Q&A with Patricia Motto about her book.

Illinois Adult Use Cannabis and Chug A Chug

=Eckhartz Press author Scott Redman is also celebrating on July 9.  Scott is a Chicago corporate attorney with over thirty years of experience in various highly regulated industries such as banking, gaming and food manufacturing. Happy birthday to Scott!

 

 The Loop Files

=This week is the anniversary of the most famous event in WLUP (The Loop) history: Disco Demolition. It happened 47 years ago this week (July 12). Obviously it's a subject that gets an in-depth look in the pages of The Loop Files. There are also some great pictures taken  by Paul Natkin, like these...

=Author Rick Kaempfer even circled back in 2024 for the Illinois Entertainer and interviewed someone else from that day who wasn't included in the book. This interview with former Loop boss Tom Hoyt adds additional context to the famous event.

Surviving Sue & Slivers

=Author Vicki Rubin (Raising Jess: A Story of Hope) provided a wonderful review to her fellow Vicki. Here's a portion of it...

    With Slivers, Vicki shows that her talent encompasses more than one genre. Slivers takes place in the summer of 1973 and is a compelling supernatural fiction that exhibits the same qualities that made her first book so captivating- richly developed characters and a true understanding of family dynamics. Her background in psychology makes the supernatural elements feel like real-life experiences we all share. Slivers is a story about family, identity, intuition, and the discovery of truths long hidden. Many writers master one genre; Vicki has now mastered two… Slivers and Surviving Sue. Vicki Atkinson is a gifted storyteller who leaves you thinking about her stories long after the book ends. I highly recommend Slivers as your next read!

 =Are you familiar with the Barrington White House in lovely Barrington, Illinois? We weren't until we arrived at Vicki Atkinson's launch party for Surviving Sue, this week (July 10) in 2023. What a gorgeous spot. What a fun book launch party. (Her party for Slivers was at the same location just a few weeks ago). First photo with Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer is from the Surviving Sue party. The second one is from the Slivers party.

Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=How about another Vicki? Vicki Quade's Eckhartz Press book is about her hilarious everyday encounters with ordinary Chicagoans. One of those Chicagoans is Will Clinger, who is celebrating a birthday this week (July 9). Here's what he had to say about Vicki's book...

• “Vicki Quade is a Chicago treasure with an abiding curiosity about the world around her, and sprinkled among these fly-on-the-wall stories are some valuable tips on things to see and experiences to have in our great city.”

  Will Clinger, Producer and Host of WILD TRAVELS, a TV show that airs nationally on PBS.

  

 Nose Over Toes

=Eckhartz Press authors have achieved some pretty impressive things over the years, but we'd be hard-pressed to name a more impressive feat than Janet Sutherland achieved this week in 2019. Here is how she described it at the time...

    We spent part of the day meeting with Illinois Congressman Sean Casten thanking him for signing Ellie’s law. I called Congressman Casten right after my mom died at the request of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation and asked him to sign HR 1648. This is an important bill especially for those who traveled to DC lobbied, worked really hard asking Congress for research and awareness were seeking for passage of Ellie’s Law. Ellie’s Law is a bill that seeks federal funding for brain aneurysm research. It is named in honor of Ellie Helton, a 14-year-old Apex, NC teenager, who died on July 16, 2014 as a result of a brain aneurysm. The bill, HR 1648, provides $5 million each fiscal year, for five years, to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to conduct or support further comprehensive research on brain aneurysms, studying a broader patient population diversified by age, sex, and race.Congressman Casten did sign the bill!!! We met with him this morning to thank him for supporting the bill and asked him to support another awareness resolution. We are quite honored to be able to meet with Congressman Casten and hit him with a lot of items on our brain aneurysm “list” which he was open to. I also gave him a copy of my book (“Nose Over Toes”) 🙂 (photograph copyright 2019, Lee Balgemann)

Safe Inside

=If you aren't a regular reader of award-winning Eckhartz Press author (Safe Inside) Lee Kingsmill's blog, you should be. He usually posts insights into the world of entertainment, and this week is no exception. His current piece is about great story tellers. You can read it here.

The Scar Dance

 =This week in 2018 (July 9), Eckhartz Press announced that The Scar Dance was available for pre-order. It's one of those memorable books that stays with you many years after you read it. This Q&A with author William Mansfield is a pretty good primer. The Scar Dance was a finalist for CWA Book of the Year that year.

The Daly News

=This photo features two former ABC-7 colleagues. One of them wrote The Daly News: Joel Daly. The other one, Hosea Sanders, still works at Channel 7. Hosea's birthday is this week (July 12). 

=This week in 2001, Joel Daly appeared with Steve & Johnnie on WGN Radio. That interview is still available on the WGN website.

Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars

=This week in 2017, Bill Paige was making the rounds promoting his book. One of his stops was to the Bill & Wendy Show on WGN Radio.

 The Unplanned Life 

=This week in 2020, Roger Badesch appeared on the radio (The Hannah & Fred show) promoting his book. 

 

Always a Pleasure

The owner of the Toronto Raptors, Larry Tanenbaum, is celebrating a birthday this week (July 8). Larry is a huge fan of Chuck Swirsky and provided this endorsement for the book...

• Night in and night out there was no one who brought more heart and passion to the game of basketball than Chuck Swirsky. For ten years Chuck was the very soul of building fans who loved his unique style and upbeat personality. Nothing tasted better than his call to “bring out the salami and cheese Mamma”.. his special winning call. Chuck will always be a hero in Toronto.

  Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors

Cubsessions

=Fred Mitchell (July 10 birthday) was one of Chicago's top sportswriters. (Photo: Fred with Samantha Hoffman, Randy Richardson, and Rick Kaempfer.) This is what he had to say about the Eckhartz Press book Cubsessions (co-written by Randy)...

• “During my 41-plus years as a sportswriter with the Chicago Tribune, I learned that Cubs fans are indeed a super-energized, passionate and yet often complicated breed. To capture the essence of their obsession and undying loyalty is a remarkable accomplishment. Yet Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate manage to do just that through this rare collection of stories from the team’s legion of celebrity fans.”

  Fred Mitchell, retired columnist/writer, Chicago Tribune

Your Dime My Dance Floor

=This week in 2019 (July 10), friends and colleagues of Chet Coppock met to memorialize their recently deceased friend at Eddie's in Arlington Heights. Jim O'Donnell was the emcee, but Chet's former producer Cheryl Raye Stout, former Bear Dan Jiggetts and former Bull Dave Corzine were also there. So was Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer.

 Grun Weiss Vor!

=August 15, Green White Soccer Club (the subject of Grun Weiss Vor!) is celebrating their 70th anniversary with a big party at their clubhouse and fields. An amazing accomplishment. Congrats to everyone in the club for their long track record of success. More info here.

=Here's one example. This week in 2018 (July 13), Green White Soccer Club's U18 Girls team won a national championship (The President's Cup). That came a little too late to be included in the Eckhartz Press book about the club, but not too late to be highlighted here...

Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=John Gehron was the program director of WLS AM 890 when John Records Landecker worked there in the 1970s. He's celebrating a birthday this week (July 7). On this memo below, which appears in Landecker's book, see if you can see a phrase that made John Landecker want to read this on the air.

=This story is covered in the book as well...

Back in the summer of ‘76 John Landecker and I were on hand for the opening of Great America in Gurnee. Bugs hasn’t aged in 50 years.@WGNRadio pic.twitter.com/yIF5It3cZz

— Bob Sirott (@BobSirott) July 3, 2026

Life Behind the Camera

=Thought we'd provide proof that a celebrity endorsement isn't always helpful. For instance, Chuck Quinzio featured this picture in his book. Not sure what happened to that famous running back in the photo...

To Nudge the World

=And finally, if you think we're a little holier than thou these days, there's a reason for that. The Rev. Jim is in the Eckhartz Press author stable.

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.

*Jeff Reiter

=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.

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

=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?

Sirens in the Loop

=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.”

Chili Dog MVP

=What a day it was for John Owens and David Fletcher this past weekend. They got to show off the first episode of their docuseries about Dick Allen at the Chicago Public Library in Bridgeport. Dick Allen's son Richard Jr. was there, along with a host of other luminaries. Here are a few pictures from the event...

=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.

Worth a Second Look/Oscars Biggest Mistakes

=Eric Litt participated in the Book Fair at Dovetail Brewery on Sunday. 

Doin the Cruise

=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.

=Last year the legendary disc jockey was chosen for induction into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Mitch was invited to the Hall of Fame to do a book signing and book chat along with fellow Eckhartz Press author Larry Rosenbaum (The Flip Side). Ken Churilla (middle in the photo below) co-wrote both books.

The Flip Side

=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.

=Your chance to meet Carl and Larry Rosenbaum (The Flip Side) is coming May 8 at North Shore Senior Center. More details coming next week.

EveryCubEver

=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 in 2019, Rick Kaempfer appeared at the Orland Park Sports Card show to sign and sell the book. Randy Richardson was also there signing and selling his book Cubsessions. That's former Cubs catching great Randy Hundley in the photo with him below.

=This week in 2023, Rick Kaempfer appeared on the Andrea Darlas podcast to talk about it.

=This week's birthday boy (April 25), former Chicago Bull Dave Corzine, has a copy of the book.

The Sun at the End of the Road

=This week last year Tony Fitzpatrick published two items that later found their way into The Sun at the End of the Road. He paid tribute to Cooper Cooperson who passed away (April 22, 2025), and he debuted Collared Lizard 1974. Read his Instagram posting to learn more. Of course, the essay and artwork are in The Sun at the End of the Road.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tony Fitzpatrick (@tonyfitzpatrick9)

I Bear Witness

=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)

The Kiss of Night

=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

=We got you covered.

Life Behind the Camera

=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.

Last Comiskey

=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.

Monkey in the Middle

=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...

    The book opens with Maxwell sharing his rough start in life, which included having a drug addict mother who abandoned him and his siblings, and a father who was in a motorcycle gang. Maxwell was separated from his siblings — they have since reunited — and raised from age 5 months by his grandparents near 20th and Hampton.

    Maxwell calls himself a dented can and, sarcastically, Mr. Lucky. But he has made a life working on the radio in Milwaukee, Chicago, Reno and Los Angeles, and in stand-up comedy, now mostly as a regular at Zanies clubs in the Chicago area. He also teaches comedy.

    Maxwell's humorous approach to life comes through often in the book, even in his exchanges with federal agents and prosecutors. "I realize you're a comedian, but this is damn serious," one of them warns him.

=Just a year later, this week in 2017, Dobie threw out the first pitch at a Brewers game in Milwaukee.

 The Loop Files

=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)

=A frequent guest on the Loop, Mayor Richard M. Daley, is also celebrating a birthday this week (April 24). That's Hizzoner in a photo with Loopers Carol Harmon, Catherine Beckman, Colleen Colleton, and Sandy Stahl.

=One last Looper this week. Former Loop program director Bill Klaproth's birthday is April 27. That's Bill in a photo with fellow Loopers Matt Bisbee and Rick Kaempfer.

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.

Cameo

=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.

=Beth has recently finished her second book. It should be coming out on Eckhartz Press in the near future.

Always a Pleasure

=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)

Brandwidth

=This week in 2018, Kipper McGee appeared on the Brandstorm podcast to talk about his book Brandwidth. 

 Inside Melania

=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.

 Best Seat in the House

=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.

 

Turn it Up

=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.

We Have Company

=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.