Daina Tabūna (1985) is a prose writer and her short stories have been published in numerous Latvian publications since 2000. Daina Tabūna's short story collection Pirmā reize [The First Time] was shortlisted for the Annual Latvian Literature Award in 2015 as best debut of the year. The First Time instantly won over many readers and critics and has become a cult book of its time. It is a brilliant contemporary coming-of-age book addressing sensitive issues of acquiring experience and forming as a personality. In 2010, Daina Tabūna completed her studies with a BA in Theatre, cinema and TV drama at the Latvian Academy of Culture. In 2016 Tabūna received the Prose Reading festival Award. Tabūna's stories have been published in the UK by The Emma Press, bearing the title, The Secret Box. The illustrated collection features three stories from her debut The First Time. Her works have also been translated in Lithuanian, Slovenian, German, and Chinese, she has participated in Leipzig Book Fair, Slovenian Book Days, Birmingham Literature Festival, and Cork International Short Story Festival.