It’s National Year of Reading. Get your head in a Brevity.

Read. Write. Resist.

Brevity – a 6-times yearly literary handbill (a zine) distributed on the Isle of Wight – is always OPEN for short stories of 500 words or less from folks who live on the IOW; read one, write one and submit one here. Since Brevity’s inception in 2019 the flow of compelling, idiosyncratic, lyrical, weird, and wonderful submissions has grown from a forced trickle to a steady stream of refreshing short form literature. Thank you fellow Islanders. We’re grateful for the support of READERS and writers alike.

In a world of trolling, scrolling, ‘social’ media, artificial ‘intelligence’ and the rest, is reading an actual book an act of punk resistance?

Want to antagonise the high-tech hierarchy? Get caught with a borrowed LIBRARY BOOK. Be part of a COUNTER CULTURE that reads novels, biographies, memoirs, manga, comic books, flash fiction, novellas. Or Brevity.

https://goallin.org.uk/

Along with publishing flash in the Handbill and online, Brevity is waving the flag for short stories with a number of other local writing projects. On 22 Jan 2026 we’re partnering with The Open University and Boojum & Snark to help bring you a FREE writing workshop – interested? Drop us a line for more info. And be sure to stop into DEPARTMENT in Ryde where Brevity is exhibiting A Bit of Lit. Every few months a new short story by an Island writer will be on display, alongside our latest issue.

To submit a 500 word (or less) story go to the Brevity Contact Page. Enjoyed something you’ve read in Brevity? Let us know.

500 words or less – is more.