Mood Swing (September 18, 2025)

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Mood Swing (September 18, 2025)

Hi there! Phoebe is taking a well-deserved break, so this week’s newsletter has been whipped up by me – Becca Clarkson, SAD Magazine’s editor in chief. I’m still coming down from a weekend wedding on Salt Spring Island in which the bride, my highschool friend, crafted everything from her veil, to the wedding bands and purses for the bridesmaids. This is a woman who taught herself everything she knows, and her creativity seems boundless. Now, I’m walking into fall, pumpkin-spice something in hand, inspired to learn, create and celebrate my talented pals.

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Mood Swing (September 11, 2025)

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Mood Swing (September 11, 2025)

I don’t know about you, but I feel just about ready to enter my post-summer coma. After a full season of late nights, beach hangs and a packed schedule, even this social butterfly needs a break. That’s why this week I’m bringing you a full list of cool art events that you can swing by solo or with your comfort people. Most run for multiple days and some don’t require tickets so that you can stop by whenever inspiration strikes!

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"BFF-less" at Vancouver Fringe 2025: A Quirky Comedy About Finding Friendship

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"BFF-less" at Vancouver Fringe 2025: A Quirky Comedy About Finding Friendship

Roomie Productions presents BFF-less, a silly and sweet comedy debuting at the 2025 Vancouver Fringe Festival. Written by playwright and producer Ben Brown and directed by accomplished theatre actor and director Melissa Oei, the play explores themes of loneliness, platonic companionship and lost love. 

A Craigslist ad reads: “I’m looking for a best friend. I’m 24, and I’m sick of being lonely. If you’re also best friend-less, respond to this ad, and let’s meet up!”

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SAD Again: Bein' Gay, Doin' Crimes

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SAD Again: Bein' Gay, Doin' Crimes

SAD Magazine saw its first issue hit the shelves in 2009, and 38 issues later we are continuing to build on an amazing community of creatives. With new artists, photographers, designers, writers, and many more making their debut on the magazine each year, the amount of material to get through as a SAD reader can be overwhelming, but fear not because SAD Again has you covered. 

I have been diving deep into the archives to dig out some old treasures, and with a lot of cooperation from past print contributors, I am happy to present you with the first in a series of pieces honoring their hard work, and how far they have come since their SAD days. 

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Mood Swing (September 4, 2025)

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Mood Swing (September 4, 2025)

Hey Mood Swingers! (Do we like that name? No? Okay, I’ll keep workshopping it). We may be leaving Hot Girl Summer behind, but that means it’s time for what I am officially dubbing Artsy Fartsy Fall. The official tenets of Artsy Fartsy Fall are as follows: support local artists, discover new venues, wear stretchier clothes, consume media more consciously and make time for creativity! 

In the spirit of this transition, I have another week full of arts and culture events to inspire you. Cozy up at an outdoor movie, catch a Vancouver Fringe Festival show or flex your artistic muscles with the SAD team at our collage night.

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Perfect Match: Falling for Vancouver's First Romance Themed Bookstore

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Perfect Match: Falling for Vancouver's First Romance Themed Bookstore

I paced outside, my feet keeping in time with the fast paced rhythm of my heavily beating heart. I was sweating. From nerves or from the intensity of the sun’s kiss, I couldn’t tell. I knew that everything I was looking for patiently waited on the other side of the door. Blind dates were always nerve-racking, but this one felt different. I could feel it in my toes, in the soft blush creeping across my newly flushed cheeks.

Inside, the air shifted. The light was soft and welcoming, the walls a dusty rose. I let out a long breathe and stepped over the threshold. On the north wall I spotted what I had been searching for. I picked up Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. This was my blind date, suggested by a good friend, long-awaited and finally in my hands. The weight of the pages felt good, solid in my hands, a perfect fit. A perfect match. 

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Mood Swing (August 28, 2025)

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Mood Swing (August 28, 2025)

It’s official. We are about to enter the final long weekend of the summer, and it’s time for me to do a wellness check. How is everyone feeling? Personally, I’m pretty satisfied. Last week, I swam among a bloom of non-stinging moon jellies off of Jug Island, a summer moment so perfect I didn’t even flinch when I saw the Halloween aisle was already being stocked at the store I went to later.

If you don’t already have long weekend plans to hop on a ferry, sleep in a tent or some other B.C. travel cliché, keep reading for this week’s list of events in the city to end your summer with a bang and don’t forget to subscribe to the Mood Swing newsletter to get the list straight to your inbox every Thursday!

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Mood Swing (August 21, 2025)

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Mood Swing (August 21, 2025)

I have an exciting announcement to share with you this week. Today is my birthday! I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself as your esteemed Mood Swing curator. 


My name is Phoebe, I’m a freelance journalist and researcher originally from Calgary and have been living in Vancouver for four years. I’m a Leo sun, Sagittarius moon and Gemini rising, and you don’t have to know much about astrology to know that means I am insane. I love lake swims, horror movies, fruity beers, reality TV and my Google calendar. I have always been the planner friend who loves hunting for cool events and keeping busy, which makes Mood Swing and me a match made in Type A heaven.

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