To the esteemed members of the Charles Bukowski forum, my name is John Altmann and I am quite excited to be a part of this site. I came across Charles Bukowski while researching fictional character Hank Moody from the show Californication (In the middle of the second season so PLEASE NO SPOILERS!) and I saw that his character was likened to Bukowski. So I went in search of his materials and have been enjoying the ride. Currently reading Ham on Rye (Plan on reading Bukowski's novels in the order of his fictional character Henry's progression through life.) and am loving it. I can't remember the last time I was so into a book of any kind. Bukowski's voice is one that resonates very strongly with me. I can't wait to buy/read the span of his bibliography. I haven't been this excited by literature since Dostoyevsky's Crime & Punishment. So as my opening question I am going to try and be a little different. What is your story as it relates to Bukowski's work? How did you come upon it? How did it impact your life? Do you look back on him and those interactions with fondness or malice. I love hearing stories and I would be honored to hear yours.