One of Chicago's most reliable sources for adventurous short fiction, THE2NDHAND celebrates the release of broadsheet No. 28, which spotlights homegrown writer Lauren Pretnar. In the past, local faves like Al Burian (Burn Collector) and Joe Meno (Hairstyles of the Damned) have contributed terse fiction marked by goofball misanthropy and bittersweet romanticism, but HAND shines brightest when showcasing lesser-known but still-deserving authors like Pretnar. Her short story "Small Country" strikes a wonderfully awkward tone for the narrator's wedding-bell blues, with less "always a bridesmaid" egotism and more stinging existential drift.