Ahead of ourPoetry Prize, which closes 30th June, we spoke to judge Rebecca Perry about prizes, publication and what she’ll be looking for from this year’s entries.
Rebecca, It’s lovely to have you as a judge, particularly as your 2012 pamphlet little armoured was published by Seren after winning the Poetry Wales Purple Moose Poetry Prize. What was your reaction to winning the Prize and how did it help you in your development as a poet?
She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. A replica pie, half-eaten, perched on a small desk in the servant's quarters. A fruit bowl, filled with artificial apples, pomegranates and pears, with one piece missing. It should feel as though her subject has just left the room; the air should be alive with their energy. But in the great halls and lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry review – a dazzling puzzle-box of a debut
This article is more than 6 months old
The plight of a reluctant medieval king is glimpsed through scattered pieces of the past, in an ingenious novel that asks how much we can really know about history
Melissa Harrinson
23 January 2026
In a medieval palace an unnamed king chafes under the new and unsought burden of power. His uncertain fate plays out in the present-day imagination of an unnamed curator of unspecified gender, who has been employed by the palace to dress some of its rooms for public viewing in the wake of an undescribed personal tragedy.
‘An author to be seriously excited about’ … Rebecca Perry.Photograph: Robin Christian/Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize/PA
Rebecca Perry wins Waterstones debut fiction prize for ‘delicious and dream-like’ novel
EMMA LOFFHAGENJuly 16 2026
Author and poet Rebecca Perry has won the 2026 Waterstones debut fiction prize for May We Feed the King, praised as a “delicious and dream-like tale”.
Chosen from a shortlist of six novels, May We Feed the King follows a present-day curator whose job is to dress rooms in historic houses. (“When you see a replica feast scene in the great hall of an old building, I am the person who placed the pomegranates beside the pie.”) They become increasingly obsessed by the subject of their latest commission, a medieval king whose own story about his reluctance to rule unfolds in parallel.
It is “a highly wrought puzzle-box of a book which deliberately wrongfoots the reader at every turn” and “richly rewards those who approach it with curiosity”,Melissa Harrison wrote in her Guardian review.
Perry will receive £5,000 and a “promise of ongoing commitment” to her writing career. The award, voted for by Waterstones booksellers, recognises the year’s outstanding work of debut fiction across all genres.
Waterstones head of books Bea Carvalho praised Perry’s “crisp, cool prose” and described the novel as “a delicious and dream-like tale steeped in curiosity and nostalgia”.
“With a poet’s eye for detail and a keen sense of humour, Perry grapples with the slippery nature of memory and the burden of power,” Carvalho said. “Rebecca Perry is an author to be seriously excited about and we can’t wait to see what she does next.”
Perry, who is from London, has published two poetry collections, Beauty/Beauty and Stone Fruit, alongside several pamphlets and a work of creative nonfiction, On Trampolining. Her poetry has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize, while her debut collection won the Michael Murphy memorial prize.
Writing We Feed the King, Perry wanted to explore “historical fiction as a genre, and how we narrate history” as well as “the capacities of loneliness and imagination, and ultimately what happens when a person defies what is expected of them, refusing to step into the tyranny of power”.
This year’s other shortlisted novels wereLost Lambs by Madeline Cash,Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han,Under Water by Tara Menon,A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia andThe Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski.
Waterstones launched the prize in 2022. Previous winners include Tess Gunty’s The Rabbit Hutch, Alice Winn’s In Memoriam and Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits. Last year’s winner wasLucy Steeds’ The Artist.
The Starry Night, June 1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York
My connection to Van Gogh’s Starry Night
Finding peace, beauty, and meaning in Vincent van Gogh’s turbulent world and luminous brushstrokes
Orsolya Antoni
12 February 2026
Vincent van Gogh holds a special place as my second favorite Dutch painter, celebrated for his emotionally charged and vibrant use of color. His iconic masterpiece, 'The Starry Night,' has been a constant source of inspiration in my life, with its swirling skies and deep emotional resonance captivating my imagination. Van Gogh's remarkable talent for capturing the beauty of his world, often reflecting his own struggles, strikes a chord within me. 'The Starry Night' is a culmination of his artistic journey, a representation of his unique style and emotional depth. Each time I gaze at his artwork, I uncover new details and layers that invite me to reflect and delve deeper, ensuring his presence remains a significant part of my artistic journey.
Gallery employees pose with Love is in the Bin by Banksy, photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA
Banksy's 'Love is in the Bin': art vs. commercialization
Exploring the impact and meaning behind Banksy's most controversial artwork
Orsolya Antoni 12 January 2025
Banksy is my favourite street artist because of his unique way of addressing everyday life and conflicts. When I was working for a very well-known auction house, I had the opportunity to see some of his work, especially 'Girl with Balloon,' which was shredded at the auction and renamed to 'Love is in the Bin.' This incident, where the artwork self-destructed after being sold, was a bold and intriguing statement by Banksy. It was a direct challenge to the commercialization of art, a practice that often places more value on the price tag than the artistic message and the value we place on it. This incident not only made headlines but also sparked a global conversation about the true value of art and the role of the art market in determining it. The shredded 'Girl with Balloon' became a new piece of art, 'Love is in the Bin,' which further emphasized Banksy's critique of the art market's focus on monetary value over artistic expression.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, dated c. 1665
Vermeer's art: the enigma of "Girl with the pearl earring"
Discovering the mastery of Johannes Vermeer and the allure of his iconic painting in Amsterdam
Orsolya Antoni 12 September 2024
In 2023, my good friend and I had the pleasure of seeing the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam. We had a lot of fun while queuing up to buy the tickets, and we met a few very unique and interesting people. Among them was an 85-year-old Brazilian man, a former musician who now spends his time traveling the world. He had a special promise to keep for his granddaughter—a visit to the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam. His story was fascinating, and it made us wonder about the connection he saw between his life, his music, and Vermeer's art. This encounter, along with the excitement of seeing Vermeer's art up close, made the experience even more memorable.
The Tempietto is a small commemorative tomb (martyrium) designed by Donato Bramante, to mark the location of the crucifixion of St Peter, San Pietro in Montorio, in Rome, Italy
Scott Lund’s discovery unites Da Vinci’s masterpieces
The hidden connection between the Mona Lisa and Salvator Mundi
Investigative historian Scott Lund has revealed that Salvator Mundi and the Mona Lisa were intended to be seen together as one single image. Leonardo Da Vinci’s two paintings, a brilliant combination of astronomy and mathematics, were projected together into one divine image with a camera obscura, claims Lund, who in 2011 discovered a ley line in the Mona Lisa landscape pointing directly 29.5 km southeast from the Vatican to the primary cult site of Roman goddess Diana at Lake Nemi. More importantly, on the sacred Christmas morning of the Vatican's grand Jubilee year in 1500 AD, the ley line momentarily extended toward the center of our galaxy, indicated by the star Kaus Australis, which peeked over the horizon in simultaneous conjunction with the Sun. Lund says Leonardo da Vinci envisioned the Mona Lisa's face being struck by the first light of that dawn as she gazed at the core of our Milky Way from Bramante's Tempietto atop Rome's Janiculum hill.Muas
With the onset of World War I (1915-1918), Roman Jews, now full Italian citizens, were called upon to serve their country. All Jewish males of conscription age participated in the Great War. Italy had 50 Jewish generals and several military chaplains who were rabbis.
‘Life is much better, but I feel very alien’ … Eric Lampaert. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
The man who forgot himself: life before and after total amnesia
In 2019 Eric Lampaert woke up unable to recognise his friends, his parents, even his own name. After decades of anxiety, abandonment and bullying, was his mind just trying to shield him from his past?
Paula Cocozza
On the day his life changed, Eric Lampaert woke up and saw his hands. What amazed him was that they were moving in front of him, and he appeared to be the person in control of them. We’re drinking coffee in the Groucho Club in London, and at this point he lets go of his cup and wriggles his fingers. Lampaert is an actor and standup whose work has a strong clowning dimension. His hands always seemed to have minds of their own – and, sometimes, strong differences of opinion. But as he got out of bed that fateful morning, marvelling at the magical things on the ends of his arms, he felt only wonder. What he didn’t yet know was that he had lost his memory, and his life would no longer feel like his own.
