Hello friends! This week’s issue marks the end of my time as Arts & Culture (A&C) editor. I am emerging from 24 weeks of production with a serious case of email fatigue, a Galleria addiction, a slight jadedness towards Toronto’s arts writing, and possible asbestos poisoning (thanks 21 Sussex!). 

To start this letter, I’d like to thank my associates, Bushra and Mackenzie, for doing my evil bidding. Thank you to my columnists for your initiative and the unique perspectives you brought to the section this year. I’d especially like to thank Alyssa Scocco, campus arts columnist; and Josephine Graham, our inaugural Black arts columnist.

My favourite part of this job has been getting to talk to artists in the U of T community. Thank you to everyone who has shared their art with me this year, especially Sarah Edo, Helen Chazan, and Ineza Rugari. And, of course, to the writers who made this all possible — thank you for trusting me with your stories. 

Another highlight of the year, and a shining moment of Real Journalism for A&C, was in January, when we scooped The Globe with Bushra’s article on the AGO’s censorship of Nan Goldin. 

Now for a list of shoutouts, in no particular order. Thank you to copy (shameless ad, I started at The Varsity as a copy editor and you can too!): to Callie and Raina for teaching me how long an em dash should be and the difference between “premier” and “premiere,” and to Juliet and Zaneb for almost singlehandedly copy editing my section every week (no one fact check me on that, my heart says it’s true).

I’d be remiss not to shout out the ChatGPT-ers and propagandists, who have made me a smarter, more thorough (and maybe somewhat paranoid) editor. You know who you are. And I know who most of you are, too! I have a list of names prepared for my successor, so no funny business once I’m gone. I mean it! 

I’d also like to thank whoever puked on the first-floor stairs of 21 Sussex the other week. My therapist and I have discussed you at length (not a joke, #emetophobia). Looking upwards, shoutout stairs to the third floor, which I could always count on to not be covered in puke (and to lead me to the beautiful third floor people: design and visuals, I love you <3).

Shoutout to Sophie for regularly tearing my articles to shreds and for (almost) being name twins. More importantly, for writing possibly the only actually freaky article of our Love and Sex issue. Special thanks to my Varsity moms, Medha and Chloe, for sometimes buying me pink Gatorade. 

And now for the sappy love letter portion of this letter from the editor! Two people have helped me stay as sane as I could’ve hoped for during my time as A&C editor.

The first sappy message goes to Ahmed, our opinion editor and my day one Varsity bestie. Thank you for being endlessly supportive of everything I do (very dangerous), and for being the ‘life of the party’ to my ‘sit on the couch sullen and sober.’ Ahmed is a beautiful person and a remarkably earnest writer. I am a more thoughtful person and a more honest writer for knowing him. He is also a karaoke goddess and has really good hair. 

At the risk of this letter becoming the Bushra show, I do have to thank her individually: for being the go-getter of the century, for being passionate and full of opinions, and for always bailing me out when I needed it this year. Bushra’s writing is a breath of fresh air in a city drowning in lukewarm arts writing. All that to say, I feel super smart for hiring her. Go us!

I told Bushra a couple of weeks ago that a year feels like the exact upper limit for how much time I can spend as a section editor. As my time as A&C editor comes to a close, I feel more than ready to pass the job on. Exciting things are coming to The Varsity’s A&C section, so you all better WATCH OUT!!

Bye for now!

— Sofia Moniz, Arts & Culture Editor, Volume CXLVI <3