"Schoemperlen's inventive language and narrative structures encourage readers to be free 'from the prison of everyday thinking.'"—The New York Times Book Review First Things First gathers eighteen of the best of Diane Schoemperlen's earliest and uncollected stories, with several being published in book form for the first time. Playfully inventive, comic, moving, and profound, this collection will reinforce Schoemperlen's importance as one of the leading short story writers of her generation. Diane Schoemperlen is the author of twelve books, most recently By the Book: Stories & Pictures.