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!
=Another Eckhartz Press author is celebrating a birthday this week (July 21). Happy birthday to one half of the Patty & The Stump team, Spike Manton. He co-wrote (with Tim Clue) a children's book for us during 2016 that remains timely today. It's about dealing with political bullies. (Photo of Spike below with Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer at Zanies in Chicago)
=This is always a great way to get to know the author and the book he has just written. It's a Q&A with author Jim Slusher about his great new book To Nudge the World.
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=Mark your calendars, Vicki Atkinson has an event a week from today (July 30th) in Woodstock.
=Yes, that's Eckhartz Press author (Last Comiskey) Ken Smoller with the ultimate White Sox spokesperson, the one and only Ozzie Guillen. We thank Ozzie for his support of this project!
=This week in 2018, Eckhartz Press author Richard Reeder debuted his promotional video for his book 1001 Train Rides in Chicago.
=One of the biggest stars in WLUP (The Loop) history was Sky Daniels. Sky is a big contributor to The Loop Files, and this week he's also celebrating his birthday (July 24). (PHOTO: by Mike Bucek)
=Because the book Chili Dog MVP looks back at Dick Allen's unforgettable 1972 season with the White Sox, all of Allen's teammates from that team are also featured in the book. Here are three of them who have birthdays this week, including Dick's brother Hank Allen (July 23), former Cub Moe Drabowsky (July 21), and Buddy Bradford (July 25). Only Buddy is still around. Hank died in 2023 and Moe died in 2006. (Photos from Topps)
=This week in 2017, Bobby Skafish was making the rounds promoting his rock and roll interview book We Have Company. Among the stops, WGN Radio. He appeared on the Roe Conn show, which featured Anna Davlantes at the time. Anna's birthday is this week too (July 25).
=Isn't there a rock star birthday this week that ties into Bobby's book? Well, now that you mention it, there is one. Emily Saliers (from the Indigo Girls) is also in the book.
Walter Payton
=Considering that Walter Payton is the either the greatest or second greatest athlete in Chicago history, and our press is a Chicago press, it shouldn't surprise you to discover that three different books in our catalog have great stories about Walter, The Loop Files, Records Truly Is My Middle Name (by John Landecker) and Your Dime My Dance Floor (by Chet Coppock). We still miss Walter (who would have been celebrating a birthday this week--July 25), but he lives on in the pages of these Eckhartz Press books.
=WGN radio's Steve King is celebrating a birthday this week (July 26). Steve was a long-time colleague of Roger Badesch on WGN, and plays a crucial role in the most exciting story in Roger's book. He also provided this testimonial (along with co-host and wife Johnnie) for the back cover of the book...
“This book’s cover photo was taken on a night we’ll never forget. Trust us, we never had a night like that on the radio before or since and, along with our WGN radio listeners, were praying that Roger would survive. Spoiler alert: He did! In this book Roger shares the details of that night and other adventures, including his time with Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington, and first woman mayor, Jane Byrne. “The Unplanned Life” of this man we’re so proud to call a friend was obviously part of a bigger plan. Thankfully, he listened to the universe and went along for the ride. Buckle up, it’s a good one!”
EveryCubEver
=This week in 2019, EveryCubEver author Rick Kaempfer appeared on the Club 400 Podcast to talk about his book. The hosts of the show were blown away by the details. You can still hear it here.
=This week would have been the birthday (July 21) of the recently departed German soccer superstar Uwe Seeler, who helped the West German team win the World Cup in 1954. He also appears in an Eckhartz Press book. In the 1970s he came to Chicago and attended a Green White soccer game. That story is told in the pages of Gruen Weiss Vor!
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