Colours of the Past: A Creative Writing Exhibition runs from 30th July to 29th November 2026 in the Writers’ Museum, Edinburgh. I wanted to amplify the voices of women of colour in the city and within a space dedicated to three of Scotland’s literary greats – Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Walter Scott. I ran creative writing workshops in the Museum of Edinburgh with three Black and Asian community groups. These were Networking Key Services, Sikh Sanjog, and Mwamba. The women’s notebooks, photos of their personal objects, and quotes from their stories forms the central display in the main foyer. An exhibition booklet, which speaks of the project’s aims, brings together all 23 stories in their entirety. A lasting legacy for the women involved.

On the eve of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival, we launched Colours of the Past in Makar’s Court, outside the museum, where women from the three groups came together to read from and hear one another’s stories. It was a powerful and moving event. One of the participants said that it was “amazing…we got a chance to tell our story and meet other wonderful women, with such warm and touching stories, taking us on a ride to far flung places.”

Here is a press release about the exhibition in the Edinburgh Evening News, and a short video of the display.

A comment in the visitor book for the exhibition makes the work I do with communities so worthwhile: “As odd as it sounds this reminded me of home. As an American Indian any beadwork reminds me of the reservations…makes me think how anyone can find common ground.”