The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=Our newest book got a teaser in the Chicago Sun Times last week. 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.
Ken Smoller (aka “Stadium Vagabond”) is a photographer and writer based in Brookline Massachusetts, with childhood roots in Chicagoland. In over three decades of extensive traveling, he has photographed more than 2,350 stadiums in 48 states and 24 countries. His mantra is that one of the best ways to understand the culture and fabric of a place is through its sporting arenas and stadiums. Today, Ken runs the “Stadium Vagabond” blog (www.stadiumvagabond.com and on social media @stadiumvagabond) to share his photographs and stories from years of sporting adventures around the globe. When he is not at the ballpark, Ken works as a commercial real estate attorney and lives with his wife, Jaime, and two sons, Simon and Charlie. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Smoller also spent his college summers back in Chicago as a vendor at new Comiskey Park during its first three seasons, and on Sox off-days at Wrigley Field and Soldier Field. Despite living in the Boston area, his sporting loves remain the White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks.
=This week he appeared on WCIU, The U, with Kenny McReynolds.
=April (Opening Day), May (Mother's Day), June (Father's Day) and December (Christmas) are the four busy seasons every year for EveryCubEver. Two of those are coming up soon. If Mom and/or Dad are Cub fans, the all-new 6th edition is out now!
=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.
=Here's one more bonus Cubs feature. A home movie from this week in 1938.
=Dobie Maxell was in the news this week in 2016. The Milwaukee Journal reviewed his book Monkey in the Middle and had this to say...
There has been talk of turning "Monkey in the Middle" into a movie. 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.
=Two events coming up. May 1, from 7-8pm at the ELA library in Lake Zurich. Reserve your slot here. Here’s what the program says…
Author Rick Kaempfer transports you to the good ole days of radio, the 1970s and 1980s, when “The LOOP” reigned supreme, shaking up the airwaves and grabbing listeners with a unique brand of programming unlike anything heard before. Kaempfer shares stories from his book told through the eyes of those who were actually there.
=Also, May 11 at the Pollyanna Brewing Company in Roselle. I’ll be there along with fellow ex-Loopers (like WGN-TV’s Jeff Hoover) from 3-7pm signing and selling books. If you don’t have a copy of the book yet, or you’d like your copy signed, that will be a great opportunity. We haven’t had an event in that area yet.
=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)
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. He tells that story in this free excerpt from Records Truly Is My Middle Name.
=Three of the people featured in Chuck Swirsky's book are celebrating birthdays this week. 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)
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.
=This week in 2018, Kipper McGee appeared on the Brandstorm podcast to talk about his book Brandwidth.
=This week is the real Melania Trump's birthday (April 26). The fake one, Melania impersonator Lauren LoGiudice was in town recently. She does the world's best Melania impersonation, and wrote a whole book about it for Eckhartz Press.
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.
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=Peter Frampton (born April 22) gets the full-chapter treatment in Bobby Skafish's great memoir about his rock and roll interviews...
Hospital, Heal Thyself!
=Congratulations to author Mark Taylor. We signed him to a deal at Eckhartz Press a few months ago, and his book was selling very well on our site. So well, in fact, that it caught the eye of a big publisher. 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 with Mark. 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
