Berton Braley (29 January 1882 - 23 January 1966) was an American poet born in Madison, Wisconsin. At age 16, Braley quit high school and got a job working as a factory hand at a plow plant. After a few years, Braley went back to school and received his high school diploma. Shortly thereafter he discovered Tom Hood's poetry instructional book The Rhymester. Braley was first published at the age of 11 when a small publication printed a fairy tale he wrote. In 1934, Braley published the autobiographical Pegasus Pulls a Hack: Memoirs of a Modern Minstrel.