Nothing says “Celebrate!” like facon.

Not only is this our first issue of 2014, but it’s JDP’s FIFTIETH(!) issue, which is rather amazeballs for an online speculative fiction magazine, we think. In order to help you create a suitable party atmosphere, we have put together a soundtrack in the form of recommended song pairings for each story:

“Ash Wednesday” by Jacob Euteneuer: David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” (It’s inevitable, of course, but some of us get there faster than others. “Dust in the Wind” might have stayed on theme slightly better, actually, but we like you too much to make you listen to Kansas.)

“Fox and Tiger” by Charlie Harmon: Green Jellÿ’s “Three Little Pigs” (Two fun, irreverent takes on classic fairy tales.)

“He Was, After All, a Gopher” by Andra Skaalrud: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sparrow” (Different attitudes towards sparrows, same agonizing need for love and a home.)

“Are You Man or Aquatic Ectotherm?” by h. l. nelson: Bruce Springsteen’s “Cowboys of the Sea” (Imaginative, fishy fantasies. Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” would also work here.)

“Why’s Wally” by Mark A. Rayner: Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” featuring Michael Jackson (There’s a fine line between paranoia and being right about everything all along.)

Read, listen, enjoy.* A big thank you to all of our readers and contributors for fifty great issues, and here’s to a new year filled with more weird and lovely fiction!

*You can also go right to the full issue or download the .pdf.