Paper Trails trainee artists - care homes (freelance)

Closing date for applications: 17 September 2025 at 12.00pm noon

Contract: Freelance (September - December 2025)

Fee: £4,400

An exciting opportunity for two early-career trainees to support creative projects and workshops that bring the Edinburgh Book Festival to life for older communities in care homes.

As part of our ambitious new programme Paper Trails - Edinburgh International Book Festival, in collaboration with Edinburgh Libraries’ Mobile Library Service, is seeking to appoint two trainee artists to support our four writers in residence to deliver five-week creative projects in older people’s residential care homes across Edinburgh. The projects will coincide with and enhance the visits from the libraries team. We want to bring the joy of the Book Festival to people across Edinburgh, who cannot come in person.

At the Book Festival, 'artist' encapsulates a diverse range of creative outputs: authors, illustrators, comic creators, spoken word artists, playwrights, visual artists and musicians, producing work for all ages of audiences and readers. For this role we are particularly interested in applications from early career artists who would like to develop experience of working with older people, people with dementia and people with age-related illness in residential settings.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival Communities Programme brings together the very best from groups and organisations across the country with the energy and excitement of the August Book Festival. Produced in collaboration with a variety of partners, this programme of residencies, festivals and one-off events brings authors, artists and audiences together to inspire each other and to be inspired, to share stories and experiences, and bring books to life for people of all ages in their own communities. Paper Trails is a new five-year project working in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries to co-design bold creative experiences with communities across the city to address local needs.


Responsibilities

• To support the Writer in Residence to enable the participating groups to have their voices heard and their creative work to be nurtured and valued throughout the project
• To attend all Paper Trails workshops as outlined in the project schedule, taking on a project support role
• To help plan project activities in a timely and professional manner, in collaboration with the Writers in Residence, care home staff, and participants as required
• To suggest possible additional artists or artistic elements to support the emerging ideas across the project as a whole
• To participate in marketing and publicity activity as required
• To write a blog about the traineeship for Book Festival’s On the Road Blog
• To participate in the project’s evaluation process, and to provide regular feedback to the Book Festival and its partners

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Early career artist with some experience within the literary and/or cultural sector
• An interest in developing creative practice in participatory, community, care settings
• Ability to take the lead from/work with the creative ideas of another artist/writer
• Open and flexible attitude to evolving projects and responding to participant and partner input and ideas
• Excellent communicator who can work with and represent the project
• A creative thinker who can provide support in troubleshooting and creative problemsolving
• Commitment to equal opportunities and social inclusion; tolerance and respect of difference
• Generosity of spirit and a willingness to learn from others

Desirable

• Experience of collaborating across different art-forms
• Experience/appreciation of cultural programming

Personal attributes

• Positivity and resilience
• Plans ahead but will happily adapt and develop plans as new opportunities arise
• Motivated, pro-active and enthusiastic, even in the face of challenges
• A strong commitment to equality, inclusivity and diversity
• A willingness to work outwith standard office hours, as the job dictates

Additional information

To apply submit a CV and cover letter outlining how you meet the person specification and including a 300-word statement on what you would like to learn/develop during the traineeship via the 'Apply' button. If you have any questions about the role not answered by the above, please contact noelle.cobden@edbookfest.co.uk.

The Book Festival is a working environment where everyone is treated fairly, and our differences are celebrated as strengths. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. If you have any specific access requirements, please let us know and we will do our best to meet your needs.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.