The most important Cubs player of the 21st century. https://t.co/SdRovgNhMv
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 10, 2025
Thursday, September 11, 2025
EveryCubEver: All Hail the Rizz
Minutia Men Celebrity Interview
Our latest Minutia Men Celebrity Interview is out. This week we interview bird journalist Jeff Reiter (The Best of Words on Birds). https://t.co/ZT8fQ27KoP
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 10, 2025
Monday, September 08, 2025
Publishing Portal--September 8, 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.
=Jeff Reiter has been a busy birder this past week. His book launch party at Cantigny on September 4th was a big hit.
=Then he appeared at Printers Row Litfest on Sunday.
=And this coming weekend he has another big event. 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.
=Jeff will also be a guest this week at Minutia Men Celebrity Interview (on Wednesday). We'll post a link when it comes out.
=Big Mike on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview. He was great.
This week's interview has been posted. The always colorful Mike Gentile, co-author of Mob Adjacent. The man can tell a story. https://t.co/R6mGWePOM7
— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 3, 2025
=Also available at Eckhartz Press...
=Mark Wukas was the Belle of the Ball at Printer's Row LitFest this weekend. He participated in a center-stage discussion about Chicago novels on Saturday, and signed books for two hours at the Midland Author Society tent.
=Yes, that was Larry Rosenbaum from The Flip Side at the Printers Row Litfest. He was there signing and selling copies of his book.
=(Eric) Litt at the (Printer's Row) Lit-Fest. It had to happen.
=It's a huge week for Mitch Michaels. When the next Publishing Portal comes out on Monday, Mitch will be an official member of Illinois' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Publisher Rick Kaempfer will be on hand to chronicle the event. You can still get tickets here.
=This week in 2017, Mitch Michaels hosted a radio promotion called The River Prom in Naperville. Yes, it was a prom for grown ups. Mitch also got a chance to pitch his book there, Doin' the Cruise, which definitely appealed to the River Prom crowd. His program director at the time was there to strangle him, not the first PD that wanted to do that.
=Why is Rick Kaempfer accumulating all of this Loop stuff? If you're sensing a big announcement coming up soon, you aren't wrong. Stay Tuned.
=One of the most dramatic moments in our biggest selling book ever, The Loop Files, happened this week in 1993 (September 14). That was the day the famous radio duo Steve & Garry broke up. The drama around that memorable event is chronicled in the Loop Files.
=For many years Bruce Wolf provided the sportscasts on Steve & Garry's show. He later also teamed up with Steve after the breakup. Bruce is celebrating a birthday this week (September 11)
=Worlds colliding. Mitch Michaels and Brendan Sullivan are both Eckhartz Press authors (Doin the Cruise, The Living Wills) and contributors to the Loop Files. Both worked at the Loop. And yet, until last year they had never met. Here's a photo of that moment, taken at the York Tap in Hinsdale.
Happy birthday!
=Eckhartz Press co-publisher and author (The Balding Handbook) David Stern is celebrating a birthday this week (September 12). Here he is making that announcement to the press...
=He shares a birthday with another Eckhartz Press author. Happy birthday to Margaret Larkin, author of Wicker Park Wishes. Her birthday is also September 12.
=Eleven years ago this week (2014), Asst. Professor Lori Oster (Oakton College) released her textbook I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie, a guide to help readers transform their ways of thinking about text. What started as basic handouts for Oster’s students has evolved into a time-tested approach to helping high school and college students develop the reading skills they need to be successful both in the classroom, and out.
=Our Eckhartz Press authors come from all walks of life.We have lawyers, musicians, radio and television personalities, athletes, clergy, salesmen, doctors, journalists, playwrights, comedians, artists, and quite a few educators. One of the educators is Dr. Vicki Atkinson, who worked with distinction for years at Harper College. A few years ago she was named a distinguised alum. There was even a video...
=Vicki's memoir Surviving Sue is available at Eckhartz Press. We hear there may be a follow up book coming from her soon. Stay tuned.
=This week in 2017 (September 8), the state of Indiana declared John Records Landecker Day in honor of Eckhartz Press author John Landecker. The event was held in Michigan City Indiana, and Eckhartz Press publisher (and co-author of John's book) Rick Kaempfer was asked to speak there. It was a great day for Landecker. The governor of Indiana bestowed upon John the Sagamore of the Wabash award, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen of the state.
=This week in 1993, Landecker & Kaempfer met for the first time (September 9) when John interviewed Rick to become his executive producer. The two worked together on that morning show on WJMK for the next ten years.
=Two other tidbits about John, from the book. On September 11, 2001 the show was on the air when the planes hit the Twin Towers. That story is excerpted here.
=It's also the anniversary of Eddie Money's birth (September 13). The singer appeared on Landecker's show, and then later, in photograph form--in John's book.
Rick Kogan
=The Chicago Tribune scribe and WGN Radio host has been a big supporter of Eckhartz Press since we debuted in 2011. In fact, the company was largely formed on Rick's advice. We can never thank him enough for the many times he has had our authors on his show, and for a few of the incredible reviews he has given our books. For instance...
Rollicking and real on so many levels, ‘The Living Wills’ is a captivating collaboration by two immensely talented writers. I hope this team keeps at it for keeps.
“A fascinating book…a fascinating read. Mob Adjacent will open your eyes. The stories are true and genuine and heartfelt, and there’s a real honesty in this book.”
“You may think you know Roger Badesch if you have listened over the years to his exact and artful news reports on radio, but between the covers of this book you will find so much more–a man of great depth, many passions and skills. His is a wonderful life that you can now share.”
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune
=That's Rick and Roger Badesch at the Printer's Row Litfest, this week in 2021...
=Two of the people featured in Chuck Swirsky's book Always a Pleasure are celebrating a birthday this week. Happy birthday to former White Sox announcer Jason Benetti (Sept 9) and former Chicago Bull Jimmy Butler (September 14)
=The book Last Comiskey is about the final season at the famed Chicago landmark, Comiskey Park. One of the White Sox from that year, who is also featured in the book, is celebrating a birthday this week. Happy birthday to the lefty, Greg Hibbard (September 13).
=On September 10, 1992, Ray Hickok, founder of the Young President's Organization passed away. His successor Scott Mordell was a big fan of Andrew Langert's book A Man, A Mission, A Miracle. Here's what he wrote about it....
The book resonated with me very much. I attended a Lasallian Christian Brothers high school in Detroit. While I had a general understanding of the education mission, I found the deeper information here added color to my own experience.
Brother James is certainly a fascinating leader and role model. Even your listing of his personal interests was insightful. I have never experienced someone that would list prayer, meditation and reflection as a personal interest (more often someone states it as “their practice”). It is also telling about someone that states building a friend and relationship network as a personal interest too. How human, and essential for a quality life.
In all, it is clear in the text this was a labor of love for you. I admire the manner in which you integrated the Lewis University information and story with the biographical aspects of Brother James.
Very readable all the way though.
–
=This week in 2016 (September 8), Bobby Skafish appeared on WGN Radio to talk about his book We Have Company. It was a great conversation with his old pals and colleagues Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder.
=This week is also Moby's birthday (September 11). He rates a chapter and a photo in Bobby's book.
=What do the books Lost in the Ivy and Cubsessions have in common? Well, both of them have something to do with the Chicago Cubs. Both are either written (Lost in the Ivy) or co-written (Cubsessions) by Randy Richardson. And both feature contributions from Tom Dreesen, who is celebrating a birthday this week (September 11). He was interviewed and rates his own chapter in Cubsessions, and for Lost in the Ivy he contributed this review of the book...
This book is not just for Cub fans but for all who love a great story. It’s a wonderful read. Enjoy! I know I did.
=Because it's Tom Dreesen's birthday this week (September 11), we should also mention Tom's devotion to another Eckhartz Press book. This one was written by Lou Macaluso about one of Tom's high school classmates, the great football player/civil rights activist LaMarr Thomas. Here's what Dreesen said about that...
“Lou Macaluso has captured the very soul and spirit of a man that I thought I knew and loved. Now I know so much more and wish I could have my friend back for one more conversation.
=This week in 2019 (September 10), just a few months after the release of the first edition of EveryCubEver, the Chicago Writer's Association featured an interview with the book's author, Rick Kaempfer. That interview covered his books, his podcasts, his media career and more. You can read it here.
=Also, these photos were taken this week in 1999 (Sept 8). Rick with his wife Bridget, and two boys Tommy & Johnny (a third one, Sean, arrived three years later), and Rick walking with his two boys in Wrigleyville. The photos appear in the pages of EveryCubEver.
=One of Rich King and Richard "Ike" Isaac's longtime colleagues at WGN-TV was Jackie Bange, who is celebrating a birthday this week (September 9). This photo appears in the book about Ike & Rich...
=This week in 2018, our dear departed friend Chet Coppock appeared on the Channel 7 show Windy City Live. Here are a few photos from that day...
=This week in 2017, Joel Daly made his last public appearance for Eckhartz Press discussing his book The Daly News. He came out to Des Plaines and spoke to a crowd at the Frisbie Senior Center. The crowd loved hearing Joel's stories. Sadly, he passed away not too long after that, but Joel's memory lives on at Eckhartz Press.
=He would be in his 90s now if he was still with us, but the legendary radio disc jockey Dick Biondi passed away in 2022. (His birthday was September 13.) Biondi is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Turn it Up, by Bob Shannon.
=Eckhartz Press author Mark Gelinas' brave battle with pancreatic cancer is chronicled in the book GelStrong. Through the sheer force of his good will and personality, Mark managed to bring a wide array of people into his inner circle, helping him to fight this insidious disease. Among the people who supported Mark, the famous rapper Ludacris. He is celebrating a birthday this week (September 11)
Rest in peace Mark, Joel, Dick, and Chet. We still miss you very much.
Saturday, September 06, 2025
Minutia Men
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
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.
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