The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
3 Chances to Meet Eckhartz Press Authors This Week
Wednesday August 26
=Richard Reeder will be appearing at Cliff Dwellers 5:30--8pm on August 26, on the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Adams Street. He'll be talking about his new novel Sarasota. If you've never been to Cliff Dwellers, it's an amazing location on Michigan Avenue, overlooking the Art Institute and Millennium Park. Here's a video...
Saturday August 29th
Vicki Atkinson will be appearing at Bookmarks: A Festival for Readers at Harper College's Schaumburg campus (650 E. Higgins Road). Vicki will be signing and selling her new novel Slivers and her memoir Surviving Sue from 10am-2pm. Come see Vicki and explore the many other books that will be featured there.
Saturday August 29
Robert Conlon will read and sign his book Celtic Knot at the Irish American Heritage Center (4626 N. Knox) at 10am. If you haven't seen Bob's presentation about his book, it's really good. RSVP is optional, but appreciated.
You can meet up to ten different Eckhartz Press authors here. One of our newest authors, a very prominent Chicagoan, will be interviewed live on stage there. We haven't even announced that we are publishing her book yet--so this one will be a surprise. Also, past and future Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson will be part of a panel discussion from 2-3pm on Saturday.
Saturday September 12
=Vicki Atkinson (Slivers & Surviving Sue) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 10am-12:30pm
=Robert Conlon (Celtic Knot) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 10am-12:30pm.
=Gloria Golec (South Side Memories) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 12:30-3pm
=Tony Fitzpatrick's family (The Sun at the End of the Road) and David Stern (The Balding Handbook) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest in the CWA tent 3-6pm.
Sunday September 13
=Russ Fahrner (Face Your Monster) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 10am-12.
=Jim Slusher (To Nudge the World) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 12-2pm.
=Nick Digilio (40 Years, 40 Films) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 2-4pm.
=Bob "Wilbur" Williams (Bubble Boy) will be at the Printers Row Lit Fest (in the CWA tent) 2-4pm.
Saturday September 19
=The official book launch for Nick Digilio's next book, 40 Years, 40 Horror Films, is going to be spectacular..
Extending Birthday Wishes...
=Larry Rosenbaum is one of the famous brothers who owned the legendary Flip Side Records locations in Chicago. His birthday is this week (August 25). Have a great birthday Larry!
=Our Chicago Bears expert, Eckhartz Press author Dan McNeil, is celebrating a birthday this week (August 27) as well.
Tom Shaer
=Tom Shaer shares a birthday with Dan McNeil (August 27). Although Tom hasn't technically written a book for us, Tom was instrumental in editing three Eckhartz Press books: Last Comiskey (where he also served as emcee at the launch party), Chili Dog MVP, and Ike and Me.
=The co-author of Sirens in the Loop, Paul Zimbrakos, was born this week (August 28) in 1935. Paul passed away before he could finish the book, but his friend and former City News Bureau reporter Jim Elsener finished the book for him. It was recently honored by the Military Writers of America.
=He is one of the contributors to the first volume of The Write City Review. Happy birthday to NY Times best selling author James Finn Garner (August 29).
=There isn't an updated version of EveryCubEver this year, but we are providing free excerpts about Cubs Hall of Famers on their birthdays. This week: Kiki Cuyler (August 30).
Kiki Cuyler 1898-1950 (Cubs 1928-1935)
His real name is Hazen Shirley Cuyler. Cuyler was called “Cuy” by his school teammates. It was while winning the MVP title of the Southern Association with Nashville in 1923 that the outfielder acquired the Kiki nickname. Fans heard the players shout for him to take the ball when he rushed in on a short fly. The shortstop would yell, “Cuy,” and the second baseman would echo the call. In the press box the writers turned this into “Kiki.” (It’s the long “i” sound, although it doesn’t look like it.) Kiki was a great player. He led the league in stolen bases four times, runs twice, doubles once, and had an incredible lifetime batting average of .321 (he never won a batting title — but he finished in the top ten five times). Cuyler was part of the Cubs pennant winners of 1929 and 1932, although his teammates didn’t like him much. They thought he was a bit of a fancy lad because he used to put suntan powder on his face. Kiki Cuyler was elected into the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee in 1968, eighteen years after his death. His .325 career Cubs batting average is the fifth best in Cubs history.
Historical Note: On the day Hermann Goering was elected the president of the German Reichstag (1932), Kiki hit a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Giants 10-9. The win was the 12th in a row for the Cubs.
A few anniversaries...
Joe Jackson vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club
=This week in 2023, David Fletcher was making the rounds talking about his new book, Joe Jackson v. Chicago American League Baseball Club. The book is a trial transcript of the Shoeless Joe trial in Milwaukee from 1924. Amazing historical document. One of the shows he appeared on was the Baseball Talk podcast.
=This week in 2021 (August 29), Paul Banks made an appearance at the Manchester United fan club meeting at Fado's in Chicago. Everyone watched the Man United game, and at halftime Paul spoke to them about his book Transatlantic Passage. It was the earliest Guinness that Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave ever consumed (well before noon).
=This week in 2017, Lee Kingsmill's book Safe Inside was officially released by Eckhartz Press. We took that opportunity to do a Q&A with Lee. You can read that here. Lee's book later was named an honorable mention winner for the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year.
=This week in 2006, 15 years after leaving the show, author Rick Kaempfer wrote about his time as Steve & Garry's producer for the first time. A few of these stories later made it into the book The Loop Files.
=This week in 1976, Boston released their iconic debut album. Naturally they made an appearance at The Flip Side.
The Sun at the End of the Road
=This week in 1942 (August 24), Manny's Deli opened. Tony Fitzpatrick wrote a wonderful essay about one of his favorite restaurants in The Sun at the End of the Road. Here's a short excerpt, and the artwork that accompanies it...
You can eat here. Meaty stuff. The kind of meal you want before they execute you. The kind of sandwich you eat with a friend, then take the other half home for dinner and breakfast the next day…and maybe even lunch.
Look around. There are City Hall creatures, cops, aldermen, Streets and San guys and meter maids, shoveling down slices of pie. There are deals cut. Bonds haggled over. Ticket quotas pondered and the grimy business of the sidewalk brokered.
The preferred music? The ringing of the cash register.
The preferred currency? Green, cash money.
They frown a little when you hand them a debit card with the chip in it; it’s another pain-in-the-ass-thing the new century has grafted onto everyone. You’ll get the shit-eye if you’re babbling on your cell phone in the middle of the cafeteria line, or even when you’re at your table. People are trying to eat, Numbnuts; nobody wants to hear your bullshit here. Take it outside, Schmucko, because here, people are eating or working—like it’s always been, since Moses.
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