Born in Clinton, Kentucky in 1953, Gary W. Hutson considers himself a native Idahoan because he was raised there since he was six months old.  At the age of seventeen our poet left his family farm to join the US Army and the 82nd Airborne Division as an artilleryman in the airborne artillery.  He thought it might be easier work than milking the 50 head of cows as he'd been doing since he was old enough to carry a gallon of hot water to the barn.

Honorably discharged from the All-American Division and the Army after three years of service, our poet begins the climb to the wreckage of his past that would be the basis of his first collection, The Naked Truth of a Common Man 101 Poems.

This two-fisted drinker stumbled through 30 years of hard drinking, living the life of an Idaho ranch hand, driving long-haul trucks, a roughneck in the oil patch, and being a corrections officer working death row for the State of Idaho.  And, yes, his life includes a stretch as a homeless drunk writing poetry on the streets of Boise, Idaho.

On his way to a ranch to find work while hitchhiking in the rain, our poet learns that the man who picks him up is famed Idaho cowboy poet Charlie Smith.  Such begins a friendship that changes our poet's life.  With Charlie as our poet's boss and in-between cleaning greasy old restaurant hoods, Charlie teaches Gary the craft of poetry..

We now find our author with 10 years sober living and doing two  things he really loves - driving big rigs coast to coast and writing poetry again.

So read one poem at a time just like the writer wrote them and maybe, just maybe you'll find yourself laughing, crying or just bored as hell.  Whatever your reaction is, his poetry will always be the naked truth...if there ever was such a thing in poetry by a drunk that finally sobered up long enough to bring you his stab at being a bard.

Thank you and enjoy your time with gwhutson.com.

You will find Gary's poems on "The Poetry" page or by clicking here .