Art is the thing
My top pick from the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist
The Women’s Prize for non-fiction shortlist was announced this week, featuring six books that examine the world we live in. And there’s one that I immediately added to my list: Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt.
I tend to read in seasons. Fiction is what I crave during the long dark nights of winter - I need the stories, the escapism, the feeling of being transported elsewhere. When spring (finally!) arrives I am ready to learn and expand, so this shortlist has arrived at the perfect time.
Creativity books, in particular, are something I am craving right now. I passionately believe art is THE thing. It is fundamental to life, not supplementary… and yet so often I get swept away in productivity culture and forget to prioritise it. When life gets busy having a weekly artistic outlet is the first thing I drop, and I find myself continually returning to The Artist’s Way to help me reset and refocus.
It’s also a deeply human thing. This week I was at the V&A, where Michael Patrick King discussed the creative process behind Sex and the City, And Just Like That, and The Comeback. He mentioned that in all the research they did on AI for the new season of The Comeback, art is the one thing that people will systematically reject. Not law, not medicine. Art. Art is the thing people don’t want to consume from a machine. (Quite right)
My other favourite quote on his creative process 👇
The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction - 2026 Shortlist
Non-fiction is a fairly new addition to The Women’s Prize. It launched a couple of years ago to tackle the issue that women’s voices are underrepresented in the space, as well as overlooked in reviews and prizes. The data is striking - men dominate 93% of business and management affairs, 82% of politics and current affairs. I still find it mad that a woman can write a book that lands her in the ‘self-help’ section, and a man will land in ‘business’, ‘productivity’, or ‘development’. I’ve had many a grumpy bookshop stalk between sections, outraged at the differences in genre attribution of very similar themes and ideas.
Suffice to say, I am very happy The Women’s Prize have added this prize.
Here’s the shortlist:
The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet
Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt
Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The lives and loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell
Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran
Art Cure is what I’m picking up first. Fancourt is a scientist, making the evidence-backed case that art is as essential to health as diet, sleep and exercise. She argues that “engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body”. These are big ideas about human performance, and I hope that it’s shelved accordingly.
Spring is a natural moment to return to creative practice. Longer days, more light, and that feeling of possibility in the air post a darker few months. And I’m all for allowing myself to do this with some science-backed reasoning for why creative breaks aren’t just treats.
If you find yourself also teeming with possibility and looking for a book to match, we’re preparing our April subscriptions shortly. We’ll match you with a book that fits you personally - fiction or non-fiction - including something that takes you somewhere you wouldn’t have gone on your own.
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