Anmarie thinks of herself as a short story evangelist – she not only writes flash fiction, but is the founder and editor of Brevity, The Isle of Wight’s Literary Handbill, a 6-times yearly lit zine that’s been showcasing compelling short fiction from Island-based writers since 2019. Printed on a risograph in Sandown, it’s supported by Arts Council England and Creative Island. Brevity is available to readers free of charge at all Island libraries, and many Island coffee houses, cafes, book shops and arts centres. It’s also stocked at libraries in Portsmouth and Southampton. Further, Brevity was recently accepted to Pagemasters Zine Fair at the South London Gallery, August 2026. And several Brevity Special Editions have been commissioned by ArtfulScribe, a writer development agency in Southampton.

“Short form is what my writing practice is all about. Flash, zines, short plays, slices of made-up life on the back of a tarot card are where I want to be. Punchy and to-the-point. For me, length dilutes. Long belongs to someone else. I see the world as concentrated scenes of everyday joy and injustice that I want to capture, sort of like a Polaroid. For me, word restriction is a gift,”

Home, the lack of it for some and abundance for others, is a constant theme for Anmarie; she’s spent years writing flash fiction about a rude, bruised housekeeper. Stories from this collection entitled ‘Keeper’ regularly appear in Brevity and are currently being developed for the stage; a Scratch Night performance at Mayflower Studios in Southampton a recent highlight. The play examines the burden of the Second Home Economy on a smart-mouthed cleaner of holiday lets who compulsively pinches loo roll.

“I also find myself drawn back to the world of my childhood in the American Midwest. I love the absurdity of suburban life, and the benevolent weirdos who were part of my upbringing in rural Ohio.”

Her works of fiction have recently appeared in The Grey, a London-based alternative fashion zine, Haus-A-Rest, an online arts and literature site, Northern Spy, a literary review based in upstate New York and If You Should Venture, New Isle of Wight Mythology.

As part of the 2026 Sandown Scribe project supported by Arts Council England, Anmarie will serve as Writer-in-Residence at Boojum&Snark, creating fictional work inspired by a town, its landscape, past, present and people.

“I find Sandown – a place on a beautiful knife edge – wildly inspirational. The perfectly imperfect stimulating your eyes and ears. And in my case, my pen.”

Creative Island recently commissioned Anmarie to write stories for the Island Tarot, part of the Can You Hear Us? cultural celebrations in 2026. Anmarie has partnered with Creative Producer Tracy Mikich and Illustrator Tommy Brentnall to create a deck of tarot cards that marry illustration with new short fiction based on Island people, places and history.

“After we created the Sandown Tarot, a set of cards for the Sandown Survival project, there was a request for an Island set,” Anmarie said. “But I’ll never forget that moment when we realised that tarots, fiction and illustration trained on the future of Sandown would be magic. It’s some of the writing I’m most proud of.”

In 2024 in collaboration with StonesCrabs Theatre, with support from Arts Council England, Anmarie led the Hear Me Now project – a series of writing workshops, inspiring walks and inclusive talks for LGBTQ+ people and allies. Anmarie also wrote an original script about Fergusons Gang, a group of pioneering women who helped save heritage buildings, as part of StoneCrabs Theatre’s Faces & Places performed walk series.

“I don’t aspire to longer work. I aspire to better work. I don’t want to write a novel. I just want to write short stories that live long in a reader’s memory.”

Email: anmariewrites@yahoo.com

Instagram

Website