This week's Minutia Men is out now. Among the Minutiae topics discussed...Picking up the wrong kid at daycare, trademarking success stories, the origin of the word nerd, a Tiger Beat cover boy, Pope comedy & more than you ever wanted to know about ketchup. https://t.co/RoiTT7kh0c
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 6, 2025
Saturday, September 06, 2025
Minutia Men
Free Kicks
Who is going to win the Premier League this season? Who will be relegated? Get your predictions here. https://t.co/lF4YpW0ZW4
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 6, 2025
Tuesday, September 02, 2025
Publishing Portal--September 2, 2025
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=Chili Dog MVP co-author John Owens is featured in this month's media column in the Illinois Entertainer. It just came out yesterday! You can read that interview here.
=The film is now in post-production! Coming in 2026.
=This week's guest on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview is the always colorful co-author of Mob Adjacent, Michael Gentile Jr. That interview will post on Wednesday. We'll post a link when it goes live.
=In the meantime, check out this promotional video with the filmaker who is directing the Mob Adjacent movie, Gino Cafarelli.
=We will have some incredibly exciting Loop-related news in a few weeks. It involves the author of The Loop Files working together with a Chicago institution to honor the legacy of the station. That's it for this week's teaser. More to come in the following weeks.
=Another big story in Loop news. Have you seen the trailer to The Loop Files contributor Kevin Matthews upcoming movie?
=Two chances to see Mark Wukas at the Printer's Row Litfest this weekend...
=Saturday September 6, From Noon-1pm, Mark Wukas will be on the center-stage discussing his novel The Kiss of Night along with other Chicago authors James Stewart III, Defiant Acts, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., The El in conversation with Vincent Francone.
=Sunday September 7, From 2pm-6pm, Mark Wukas will be signing and selling copies of his book The Kiss of Night. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent
=It's a big week for Jeff Reiter. Are these on your calendar?
=September 4, 6:30-7:30 in the Cantigny Visitor's Center Theatre, A book talk by Jeff Reiter about The Best of Words on Birds. Register here.
=Sunday September 7, From 10am--2pm, Jeff Reiter will be at Printer's Row Lit Fest signing and selling copies of his book The Best of Words on Birds. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent.
=September 12-14, Jeff Reiter will be manning a table at the Urban Birding Festival at Peggy Notebaert musuem in Chicago, signing and selling copies of his book.
=Big news about the Flip Side. Looks like we have yet another Hall of Famer on our hands. This week we have received confirmation that our book, The Flip Side: Where Chicago Rocked has been placed in the permanent collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives in Cleveland. Congrats to Carl & Larry Rosenbaum, and their co-author Ken Churilla.
=If you'd like to meet Larry, this coming weekend you'll have another chance. Saturday September 6, 12:30-3pm, Larry Rosenbaum will be signing and selling copies of his book The Flip Side. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent at the Printer's Row Litfest.
=On September 14th, Mitch Michaels will be inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Rialto Theater. Tickets available here.
=It's been quite a ride for Mitch. This week in 2017, Mitch Michaels and Ken Churilla were all over the media promoting their book about Mitch's life, Doin' the Cruise. August 31st was a particularly busy one. It included a stop at WGN-TV...
=And a star-studded launch party. Among the luminaries who came out to the launch party...Bernie Tafoya, Barry Butler, Ray Stevens, Matt Bisbee, Leslie Harris, Stan Adams, Pat Cassidy, Catherine Johns, John Landecker and many more.
One year ago today my book was released: Doin The Cruise: Memories From a Lifetime in Radio & Rock n Roll. I wrote the book for me, for my kids and grand kids so they knew at least some of what I had done with my life, but I also wrote it for all those of you who have been listening throughout years. We’ve spent a great deal of time together and I thought a chronology of the Chicago radio landscape, from my point of view, over the past forty-five plus years might be of some interest. I wanted to say thanks to my publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern from Eckhartz Press who did such a great job and a special thanks to Ken Churilla (my co-author) who spent two years listening, recording and writing down my stories. Ken was required to learn a brand new language for this project. He had to learn “Mitch Speaks” and he learned it very well. Forgive me if this sounds like I’m reliving A Day in The Life, because that’s exactly what I’m doing! This day, one year ago was so special. It started with an interview on The Noon News at WGN-TV with Steve Sanders who turned out to be a fan. Big fun! Great guy!! Followed by a book release party later that afternoon, at Lloyd’s of Chicago, attended by old friends and co-workers alike. It was an amazing day! It’s been a whirlwind of a year and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Worth a Second Look and Oscars Biggest Mistakes
=Eric Litt has written two books for us, and he'll be at Printer's Row Litfest. (Get it? Litt at Lit-fest?) Saturday September 6, from 10am--12:30pm, Eric Litt will be signing and selling copies of his Eckhartz Press books Oscars Biggest Mistakes and Worth a Second Look. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent.
=Great job by Vicki Atkinson and Wynne Leon interviewing Eckhartz Press author Robert Conlon about his book Celtic Knot. You can watch/listen to that interview here.
WGN-TV Morning News
=This week (September 6) marks the 31st anniversary of the WGN-TV Morning News. Most of the faces have remained the same since the beginning of that time, including Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten, Paul Konrad, Pat Tomasulo, and Dean Richards. The show has also been very gracious to Eckhartz Press over the years, featuring a number of our authors. Here are a few on set. Bobby Skafish, Chuck Swirsky, Rich King, Joel Daly, John Landecker, and Rick Kaempfer.
Windy City Live
=This week in 2021, the show Windy City Live aired for the last time as a regular weekday show on Channel 7 in Chicago. Our authors always enjoyed their times on the show. Here are a few examples...
=This week in 2016 (September 2), we released a book by M.L Collins called Out the Door! It was our little book that could. Unknown author, writing about Door County, and doing it with wit and charm. The cover was a grabber, it built a cult following, and sold well. Then, at the end of the year, it was named the Book of the Year by the Chicago Writers Association.
=The release party for Rich King's book Ike & Me was one for the ages, not only because of it's location (Comiskey Park or whatever it is currently being called), but also because it drew a who's who of Chicago television. One of the luminaries who attended that day was retired WGN-TV news anchor Robert Jordan. He's celebrating a birthday this week (August 31). That's him in the center of the photo flanked on either side by Rich and Ike, and on the corners by Dan Roan and Ryan Baker.
=This week in 2018, Judge Michael Bender sat down for this Q&A to talk about his book Protecting Children: Bettering the World One Child at a Time. His book was actually a top 10 Amazon hit.
=These two books have a few things in common, and one of them is the support of radio personality Johnnie Putman (September 5 birthday). She gave a wonderful endorsement to Roger's 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!”
=And then she made an in-person appearance at a Beth Jacobellis signing...
Read a book day
=September 6 is Read a Book Day and we thought we'd take the opportunity to mention a few of the novels we have released over the years. They don't get as much attention as the non-fiction books, but let's face it, who doesn't like to dig in to a little fiction every now and then? Seems like Read a Book Day is the perfect opportunity. Try The Living Wills, Down at the Golden Coin, Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy, Safe Inside, An Off-White Christmas, Righteous Might, City U, Wicker Park Wishes, Talking Bout My Generation, Belle, Back in the DDR, and Severance, to name a few.
Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars
=Bill Paige's book is one of the few you'll find with a Freddie Mercury interview. Freddie would have been celebrating a birthday this week (September 5).
=We just lost Bob Newhart last July, but the famous comedian/Cubs fan did contribute to our book Cubsessions back in 2019 (written by Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate). Want to know how Bob felt in 2016 after the Cubs won the World Series? He had been a Cubs fan so long, he greeted the 1945 Cubs at the train station when they won the pennant. Bob's Cubs joy is found in the pages of Cubsessions. It would have been his birthday this week (September 5)
=This week in 2019 (September 7), Bobby Skafish made an appearance at our favorite record store, Blue Village Vinyl in Westmont. A few of his old pals were there to help him celebrate. That's former Loop colleagues Wendy Snyder and Jimmy Mac McInerney.
=Jeanne Bellezzo grew up in the Chicago area, but she lives in California now. This week in 2016, she came to town to do a launch party for her book at Lone Star Cafe on the Northwest Side of Chicago. It was a great night. We even met one of our future editors, Mary Leonard.
=Randy Merkin's book is about the many sports legends he has met and booked as guests during his long and successful career as a sports radio producer. Three of the stars featured in his book have birthdays this week. Terry Bradshaw (September 2), Tom Watson (September 4) and Al McGuire (September 7). Each of them rate their own chapter in Behind the Glass. Also, celebrating a birthday this week (September 7) is Randy's former ESPN Radio colleague Jonathan Hood, who came out to the launch party for the book.
=Ken Smoller was in town this week last year, and he was everywhere from Printer's Row Litfest to libraries in Crestwood, Riverside, Evergreen Park, and Lake Villa. (Ken Smoller shown here with Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern)
=This week in 2018, Richard Reeder appeared on Rick Kogan's WGN Radio show to talk about his book 1001 Train Rides in Chicago.
=This week in 2021 (September 2), John Landecker had Rick Kaempfer on his WGN Radio show to talk about the Cubs. At the time people were saying that year's Cubs team was the worst ever. Rick gave John many more examples of teams that were worse. Far worse. You can listen to it here.
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=Can you identify the man who gave his name to this signature shoe? It's none other than former tennis star Jimmy Connors. Ryan Trembath writes about Jimmy and this shoe in his Eckhartz Press book about the celebrities who spawned the signature shoe world. Jimmy's birthday is this week (September 2)
And finally...
This week in 2014 (September 5) we almost lost four of our authors in a monsoon at Wrigley Field. James Finn Garner (contributor to Write City Review), Donald Evans (An Off-White Christmas), Randy Richardson (Cubsessions, Lost in the Ivy, Cheeseland) and Rick Kaempfer narrowly escaped with their lives. The Cubs weren't as lucky.
Friday, August 29, 2025
Monday, August 25, 2025
Publishing Portal--August 25, 2025
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
This fall is going to be huge for Eckhartz Press. Lots of places to meet and greet Eckhartz Press authors coming in September and October. Dates are in red.
Cantigny Park
=The iconic Wheaton, Illinois landmark will once again host an Eckhartz Press author.
=September 4, 6:30-7:30 in the Cantigny Visitor's Center Theatre, A book talk by Jeff Reiter about The Best of Words on Birds. Register here.
Printer's Row Litfest
=The 40th anniversary Printer's Row Litfest will be quite the literary event. You can meet up to eight different Eckhartz Press authors.
Saturday September 6
=From 10am--12:30pm, Eric Litt will be signing and selling copies of his Eckhartz Press books Oscars Biggest Mistakes and Worth a Second Look. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent.
=From Noon-1pm, Mark Wukas will be on the center-stage discussing his novel The Kiss of Night along with other Chicago authors James Stewart III, Defiant Acts, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., The El in conversation with Vincent Francone.
=From 12:30-3pm, Larry Rosenbaum will be signing and selling copies of his book The Flip Side. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent.
Sunday September 7
=From 10am--2pm, Jeff Reiter will be signing and selling copies of his book The Best of Words on Birds. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent.
=From 2pm-6pm, Mark Wukas will be signing and selling copies of his book The Kiss of Night. He will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent
=There are several other Eckhartz Press authors you might bump into this weekend, including Randy Richardson (Lost in the Ivy, Cheeseland, Cubsessions), Donald G. Evans (An Off-White Christmas), and Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern. Randy is the president of the Chicago Writers Association and Don is the head of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. Rick will be there on Saturday. Dave will be there on Sunday.
Urban Birding Festival
=This is a new event for Eckhartz Press, but we're confident the right Eckhartz Press author will be there...
=September 12-14, Jeff Reiter (The Best of Words on Birds) will be manning a table, signing and selling copies of his book.
Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
=At previous ceremonies, Eckhartz Press author John Records Landecker (Records Truly is My Middle Name) has been recognized. This year, Eckhartz Press will be on stage once again.
=September 14, 5pm at the Rialto Theater in Joliet, Mitch Michaels (Doin the Cruise) and Bob Stroud (contributer to The Loop Files) are being inducted into the Hall of Fame in the radio personality category. Records Truly is My Middle Name contributor Bob Sirott will serve as the emcee. Rick Kaempfer (EveryCubEver) will be part of the "Go Cubs Go" sing-a-long during the Steve Goodman induction.
=A few other notable celebrities will be on hand as well, including the Smashing Pumpkins, Disturbed, Skip Griparis, Suzy Bogguss, and Richard Marx. Get your tickets here.
Naperville Irish Fest
=What's the use of having an Irish author if you can't appear at the Irish Fest?
=Saturday September 19-20, Eckhartz Press author Bob Conlon will be on hand in the author tent, signing and selling copies of his book Celtic Knot.
The Steppenwolf
=Looks like our newest author Tony Fitzpatrick (book available for pre-order soon) is going to help us class up the joint.
=We will get the exact dates of Tony's run in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here's what it's about...Tony
Fitzpatrick returns to Steppenwolf for an event in celebration of the
publication of his latest book of dispatches, poems, etchings, drawings and
collages. This event incorporates music, spoken word, conversation and
projection, navigating Tony's life as an artist and appreciator of nature,
dogs, birds, people and the city of Chicago.
This event is like the best kind of road trip, with landmarks and rest stops appearing as poems, dispatches and works of art which explore Tony's childhood as a "no-goodnik" in suburban Chicago, to discovering comics, poetry and an appreciation for nature and finding sobriety and community with some of America's greatest musicians, artists and poets along the way.
Tony will be joined by a small, rotating group of
actors, artists, filmmakers and musicians, live and/or in voice-over; these
friends, family members and guest artists serve as memory, prompting Tony with
a haiku, question or story of their own.
The performance also includes short musical
interludes, concluding with a book signing with the artist. Some of
Fitzpatrick's latest etchings, drawings, collages and prints will be available
for purchase, following the show.
This production follows the publication of Tony's
newest book, The Sun at the End of the Road: Dispatches From an American
Life, a collection of dispatches, haiku, poetry, collages, etchings and
drawings, edited by Marika Mashburn, designed by Danny Torres and published by
Eckhartz Press in Chicago, Illinois.
There are a few more events already scheduled for October. Keep an eye on this space for upcoming information.
=This week in 1976, Boston released their iconic debut album. Naturally they made an appearance at The Flip Side.
=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!
=Another Eckhartz Press author is celebrating a birthday this week (August 27). Happy birthday to I Bear Witness author Dan McNeil.
Tom Shaer
=Although Tom hasn't technically written a book for us, he has been a very valuable editor on several projects. 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. Tom is also celebrating a birthday this week (August 27).
=Another short audio clip featuring Mark Wukas from his interview at Max and Benny's in Northbrook. In this clip, Mark talks about his favorite writer, James T. Farrell.
=This week Windy City Reviews posted their excellent review of Mark's book. Full review is here. This is a short excerpt...
This book is not a who-done-it type of mystery novel, nor is it meant for a quick summer beach-read. This is a thoughtful novel that challenges the reader to think about important issues, like whether the ends justify the means, and if so, when. If you enjoy the literary fiction genre, this book is for you.
=This Friday (August 29) Celtic Knot author Bob Conlon will appear on the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast with Vicki Atkinson and Wynne Leon. We will post the link on our facebook page when the interview goes live.
=South African poet Maggie Watson reviewed the Eckhartz Press memoir Surviving Sue this week, and she did in poetic form...
Vicki’s courage and strength shine throughout this book,
and I could sense empathy for her mother despite what she suffered.
All mental illness has a root cause, I believe, and often requires
a deeper level of understanding
I applaud Vicki for writing this book with grace and sprinkles of humour, too.
These things are not easy to survive, but somehow we find the strength
to do so, and sharing our story is part of the healing.
=What a great night at the Arlington Heights Library this week, last year. Thank you to everyone who came out, including former White Sox pitcher Don Pall, filmmaker Matt Flesch, former White Sox organist Nancy Faust, and of course, author Ken Smoller.
=This week in 2019 (August 29), Cubsessions co-authors Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate were featured by the Chicago Writers Association. Here's Becky. Here's Randy. Here's what they look like in the wild...
=One of the stars of the book, former Cubs ball girl Kathy Wolter Mondelli, is also celebrating a birthday this week (August 25). She came out to the Cubsessions launch party at Murphy's.
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 2006, author Rick Kaempfer wrote about his time as Steve & Garry's producer for the first time ever. A few of these stories later made it into the book The Loop Files.
=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 2019 (August 25), Rick Kaempfer appeared on Rick Kogan's WGN Radio show to talk about his book EveryCubEver. At the time, Roger Badesch was working as Kogan's newsman. It was during this show that Roger announced he too was working on a book for Eckhartz Press. That would later turn into The Unplanned Life. (Photo: Rick Kaempfer, Roger Badesch, Rick Kogan)
=This week in 2018, Rick and fellow Eckhartz Press author Bobby Skafish (We Have Company) were invited up to the Score Radio booth during a Cubs game. It was a thrill neither of them will forget.
=Every member of the 1972 White Sox is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Chili Dog MVP. One of them was born this week (August 27) in 1946, former catcher Ed Herrmann. Unfortunately Big Ed passed away in 2013.
=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.
=Eckhartz Press was asked to publish the literary journal of the Chicago Writers Association, and we have done so four times now. This week in 2023 (August 29), the 4th volume of the book came out. That book will also be available in the Chicago Writers Association tent for Printer's Row Litfest.
=One of the contributors to the first volume is celebrating a birthday this week. Happy birthday to NY Times Best Selling author James Finn Garner (August 29)
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