Back in December 2024, we celebrated the achievements of our Citizen project with the community partners and local people who have been involved over the last six years. Here, Communities Programme Assistant, Jodie, reflects on the evening’s celebrations.  

Citizen is our long-term creative programme working in partnership with organisations in and around Edinburgh, listening to people’s views about the communities in which they live. Led by our Writers-in-Residence Eleanor Thom and Ryan Van Winkle, the Citizen project facilitated activity including; the Citizen Writing Group, The Citizen Collective, writing projects at WHALE Arts, a Trainee Writer-in-Residence Programme, creative project work with Project Esperanza and workshop facilitation at Tynecastle High School…and the list could go on!  

2024 marked the final year of the wider Citizen project (although much of the work either continues or will be reimagined into new projects coming soon..!) so we invited partners, participants and friends to come together to reminisce on the past and toast to the future with a mince pie in hand.  

On an early evening in December we gathered at Grassmarket Community Project to hear readings from both our Citizen Adult Writers Group and The Citizen Collective. We also watched beautiful clips from the work produced by Project Esperanza participants. It was a lovely time for our Citizen community to watch, engage and celebrate each other and there was plenty of clapping and laughter to the fill the evening.  

A particularly touching moment was the dedications to the late Jane Murray, a well-loved member of the Citizen Adult Writers group who sadly passed away in 2024. Jane was a long standing member of the group and her work is present in many of the projects and activities which have taken place over the six years. She will be deeply missed. 

The rest of the evening was left for catch ups and chatter amongst participants, partners, Book Festival staff and funders. It was great to have the room full of so many people who have made Citizen possible over the years!  

Our Citizen project has placed community engagement at the heart of our Book Festival work, and we are excited to continue this legacy as we look forward to an exciting partnership project coming soon…so, watch this space! 

Photography by Aly Wight.

Citizen is part of Edinburgh International Book Festival Communities Programme, a series of events and activities around Scotland throughout the year, and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and through the PLACE Programme (funded by the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council, and the Edinburgh Festivals, and supported and administered by Creative Scotland).