This special issue is dedicated to Eirik and Monica. Last month, they were airlifted to Stanford, California, where Eirik is actively waiting for a double-lung transplant. And, by “actively” we mean the phone call could literally come at any moment and they’ll be off to the hospital for life-saving (albeit really scary-ass) surgery.

As writers we wanted to do something to help and…it turns out there’s not a whole lot we can do. I mean, seriously, no one wants a writer doing advanced thoracic surgery, right? And some of us aren’t even allowed to think about transporting organs since that incident with the kidneys back in ’09. So as much as we wanted to help our friends, we realized there’s a finite limit to what we can do.

That said, writers are good for nothing if not producing meaningful Internet-based distraction. At the least, we could give Eirik and Monica something to read for a little while and maybe briefly take their mind off “the phone call.” As we’ve noted before, waiting for a bus is annoying; we can only imagine how frustrating it is waiting for new organs.

So, inspired by the likes of Bob Geldof’s Band Aid and Little Steven’s Sun City boycott, we decided to bring together a group of writers from the JDP community to provide a little escapism and maybe raise some awareness of Eirik’s situation in the bargain. (Just, you know, with infinitely less publicity than either of those other projects.)

The result is pure JDP — we’ve got stories about Bigfoot, dead things, New Coke, and time travel, plus a poem about first curse words. Oh, and Ally Malinenko wraps things up by making the rest of us look bad and writing something really fucking touching. We hope you — and Eirik and Monica — enjoy it all.

And what can you, stalwart reader, do to help? First and foremost, they’re still looking for good cold cash to help offset transplant-related expenses not covered by insurance. You can make a donation on Eirik’s official COTA site.

Whether or not you can spare any coin, you can also help by getting the word out. A simple mention on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog would be amazing.

Finally, please direct whatever you’ve got – be it good thoughts, prayers, or (preferably) the healing power of The Force – towards Stanford.

As readers and writers of speculative fiction, heroes and magic are our stock and trade. Now we’re asking you to be one and make a little.

So step up, because Hulk smash cystic fibrosis, dammit.

Happy Birthday to us! Jersey Devil Press turns four with this issue and Ryan Werner, Dan Ress, Lawrence Buentello, and Caitlin Sinead Jennings are all here to help us celebrate.

Really, JDP’s always been a four-year old at heart. We occasionally say something profound, but then almost completely by accident. We can dress ourselves, but still prefer to run around without pants on. And we like the parts where Batman fights best.

None of us knows how long this crazy whirligig will keep defying the space-time continuum, so enjoy it while it’s here. Whether it’s four more years, four decades, or just enough time to match the Enterprise’s five-year mission, treasure JDP while it provides a home to the well-written weird, whacky, and enigmatic. (And by “treasure” we of course mean “promote on social media.”)

There’s more weepy stuff to say, but it’s probably quicker just to go watch the end of Serenity and insert “lit mag” whenever Mal talks about his ship to River.

Just try not to get impaled.

Let’s make it official. Starting in November, JDP’s new editor will be none other than Laura Garrison. Laura’s been an integral part of everything we’ve done over the past two years, including guest-editing our astounding Poetry Issue. As a self-professed reluctant academic and aspiring wrecking ball operator, she has just the right mindset to take over the reigns at Jersey Devil Press. Mike will finish up his run later this week with our Fourth Anniversary Issue; after that JDP is Radio Free Garrison. Congratulations!