What a haul!  Two beautiful, limited edition chapbooks, two bookmarks and two “beermats” to commemorate the legacy of Charles Bukowski!  (Beermats are called “coasters” in my neck of the woods, where people generally go out to “bars” instead of “pubs.”)  They all arrived for me today from Newington Blue Press in Germany.

Everything you see here is elegantly crafted.  The chapbooks are versions of “Prying,” which is the third in Newington’s “Buk 100” trilogy to honor Bukowski’s influence and literary tradition.

The First Class Premium Edition offers a collection of writing, artwork and photos dedicated to the great writer.  (And these include my flash fiction story, “Bill and I.”)

The First Class Special Edition contains selections from Jack Micheline, Bukowski himself and Catfish McDaris.  It was originally published in 1997 by Four-Sep Publications and has been hailed as a “legendary publication” for its “insanely beautiful” selections of the writers’ work.

Again — I am quite grateful to Matthias Kruger and Newington Blue Press for allowing me to be a part of this thoughtful and artistic tribute.