Fast, Loose Beginnings is a racy anecdotal account of John Kinsella's meetings with the great and shambolic men and women of poetry. Since his late teens, Kinsella has been rubbing shoulders and working with a host of acclaimed poets. He weaves his impressions of them personally, with a lively and incisive commentary on their place within the broader literary culture. As both a highly respected poet and critic, he brings clarity and biting irreverence to his subject, making this encounter with literature vividly alive. Here, in good company, are Harold Bloom, John Ashbery, Peter Porter, Frieda Hughes, Les Murray, Wole Soyinka and Jacques Derrida.