Praise for First Things First "The pleasures of such a collection -- spanning three decades -- are that it provides a bounty of good reading while charting the growth of one of our most interesting and iconoclastic writers."--Toronto Star "A generous selection of early and uncollected stories to provide a cross-section of Schoemperlen's output in the genre. This single-volume collection showcases the author's skill and versatility."--Quill & Quire "Since 1974, Diane Schoemperlen has been producing fine, often-quirky and sardonic short stories about young Canadian women grappling with self-identity and elusive love . The stories are presented in the order in which Schoemperlen wrote them. The stories get better, more assured and more insightful, over the years. The final four are exceptional, highlighting the author's strengths and giving three-dimensional pictures of authentic characters and their worlds."--Dave Williamson, Winnipeg Review Praise for Diane Schoemperlen "There is no mistaking a Schoemperlen story--devoted to form, faithful to the mysteries of the everyday.

"--The Globe & Mail "Schoemperlen takes off from the modest launchpad of these seemingly simple concepts, soaring away in wholly unexpected directions. And we follow, thrilled by her quicksilver prose, warm humor, sexiness, precision, and tenderness."--Booklist "Schoemperlen's inventive language and narrative structures encourage readers to be free 'from the prison of everyday thinking.'"--The New York Times Book Review "Lovely, clever [and] imaginative."--The Wall Street Journal.