Poetry and artwork created by people with lived experience of homelessness are being displayed across Edinburgh as part of a new public exhibition.
The project, titled Beyond the Margins: Poetry in Motion, features original poems and mixed-media artwork on billboards across the capital.
Simon Community Scotland’s Streetreads billboards now on display across Edinburgh. (Image: Supplied)
The exhibition was created through a partnership between Streetreads Library, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Buildhollywood.
Participants took part in a 10-week programme of workshops led by poet Hannah Lavery and illustrator Katie Quinn at Streetreads Library, a space supporting people affected by homelessness through books, writing and creative projects.
Simon Community Scotland’s Streetreads billboards now on display across Edinburgh. (Image: Supplied)
The workshops explored themes including home, identity, movement and belonging, with contributors drawing on their own experiences of living in or moving through Edinburgh.
Their work was later developed into large-scale public displays with support from creatives linked to the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The exhibition launched on May 18 and remains free to view across the city.
Organisers say the project aims to challenge perceptions surrounding homelessness while giving contributors the opportunity to share their stories publicly.
Simon Community Scotland’s Streetreads billboards now on display across Edinburgh. (Image: Supplied)
A second showing of the exhibition is planned during this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.
Streetreads Library, part of Simon Community Scotland, opened in 2021 and offers reading groups, writing workshops and cultural projects for people affected by homelessness.
The charity said it supported more than 13,000 people across Scotland in 2025.
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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.”