Viv Kitson gained a BA from the University of Western Australia in 1968, the same year he completed his cadetship in journalism. He moved to Sydney in 1969 where he worked as a journalist and professional writer. From the mid-1960s, he participated in poetry readings which were sometimes performed with a jazz or rock music backing. Prepared to 'read anywhere and under hostile conditions', Kitson reportedly said that he preferred to be 'hissed and booed' as he felt this to be a passionate form of response to his work.