Streetreads displaying their poetry and artwork on city billboards

Look out for a display of poetry and artwork in Edinburgh this summer.

The work comes from Streetreads Library which has created the display in partnership with Edinburgh International Book Festival and Jack Arts/Build Hollywood as part of a new citywide public art exhibition.

Beyond the Margins: Poetry in Motion, the free street gallery will transform billboards across Edinburgh into “platforms for stories, reflections, and creative work developed by people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.”

Streetreads is a library and community space run by Simon Community Scotland that is specifically designed to support and empower people affected by homelessness.

The project was created through a 10-week series of creative workshops facilitated by poet and former Edinburgh Makar, Hannah Laverty, and illustrator Katie Quinn.

Ricky Kerr, Streetreads manager, said: “This project has been one of the most inspiring I’ve had the privilege to be part of. Seeing people draw on their own lives and experiences to create such powerful and moving pieces has been incredibly humbling. 

“Streetreads is about opening up opportunities for people to engage with Edinburgh’s cultural life, and take part in experiences they have often felt excluded from. 

“Projects like this shine a light on the creativity, talent, and passion that exists across our communities, and shows what people can achieve when they are given the chance to be heard and supported.” 

Over the course of the workshops, participants worked collaboratively to develop poetry, visual artwork, and ideas responding to themes of home, place, and the experience of moving through Edinburgh. The final billboard designs were professionally developed in collaboration with artists from Edinburgh Book Festival before being prepared for large-scale public installation by Jack Arts/Build Hollywood.

The project aims “not only to showcase creative work, but also to challenge public perceptions around homelessness, and who gets represented within the city’s cultural landscape.”

The exhibition will feature original poetry and mixed-media artwork exploring themes of belonging, memory, identity, and what Edinburgh means to the people who live within it – including those often excluded from conversations about the city itself.

The works will appear at multiple billboard sites in the capital, hoping to encourage the public to engage with the exhibition either through a dedicated visit or simply while passing on their daily commute.

People experiencing homelessness are constantly represented through statistics, headlines and stereotypes, but rarely as artists, storytellers, or contributors to the cultural life of the city. This project is to bring visibility and voice to them and will reclaim public space. It asks people to stop, listen, and see Edinburgh through perspectives that are often ignored.

Streetreads hopes the free exhibition will encourage audiences to engage more deeply with the realities of homelessness while recognising the creativity, insight, and humanity of the people too often excluded and stigmatised.

In August, an exhibition of this work will be on show at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of a celebration honouring the participants.

Combining books, creativity, and community support, Streetreads “provides access to reading groups, workshops, cultural projects, and a welcoming space where people can connect, learn new skills, and share their stories”.