Thom Gunn began loving writing at a young age. He grew up in England, where homosexuality was rare and being gay made Gunn feel like an outsider. After moving to California, Gunn found a sense of community and happiness, until the AIDS epidemic struck. Thom Gunn's life was made up of moments of liberation mixed with moments of sadness. His experiences are reflected through his poems. Thom Gunn, a notable San Francisco resident who loved drugs, cooking, gardening and cats, didn't hesitate to write what he thought in his poems. His works are known for their homosexual themes. Gunn was an advocate of freedom and equality, which later led to his openly gay poetry and the theory of communal love. He describes many situations in his poems as "moments of joy." In these periods, the imagination can vary freely, allowing it to express itself. Born Thomson William Gunn, this Anglo-American poet seemed to enjoy writing from an early age, using his thoughts on life to give it a common theme. of love. On August 29, 1929, Gunn was born in Gravesend, Kent, England to father Bert Gunn (Poetry Foundation). He was the eldest son of two journalists who divorced when the poet was only ten years old. His mother tragically committed suicide during Gunn's adolescence; however, before her death, his mother had inspired in young Thom a deep love of reading and writing, including the writings of Marlowe, Keats, Milton, and Tennyson, as well as several prose writers (Poets.org). Gunn also began experiencing the first signs of being gay during this time, but he wasn't sure if it was stress from the divorce and loss of a parent, or if it was something else. which would occur later... middle of paper ......sexuality in Gunn's Early Poetry." The Ken yon Review. Np, nd Web. April 19, 2013. Gunn, Thom. Collected Poems. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994. Print.BookGuthmann, Edward. "THE LIFE OF A POET / PART TWO: While friends died of AIDS, ThomGunn remained healthy - until his urge to play hardball killed him finally." SFGate, April 26, 2005. Web. April 19, 2013. Tom. "Sex, drugs and Thom Gunn." Poetry Magazine Np, June 10, 2009. Web. April 19, 2013. "Thom Gunn." - Poets.org, nd Web. "Thom Gunn.": The Poetry Foundation April 19, 2013. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my wonderful English teacher, mmmmmm mmmm, and our incredible librarian, mmmmm mmmml, for helping me research and edit my article. Without their help, I couldn't have even started this. project, let alone finish it.