Teach Reading and Writing Issue 19

In conversation: LEMONY SNICKET It’s 25 years since we were first introduced to the Baudelaire children. To mark this auspicious milestone, we took tea with their esteemed chronicler. “It is during dreadful times that charming conversation is most prized and most comforting” In what ways did working as a reporter for The Daily Punctilio hone your writing skills? As a journalist I learned to sharpen my powers of observation as I walked around town: to eavesdrop on nearby people who might be talking about something interesting; to take notes on such intriguing events as might be happening around me; to research the sinister secrets lurking behind the surface; to interview innocent bystanders and guilty collaborators; and to type up the entire story as accurately as I could. I encourage anyone who is interested in writing to begin spying on whomever might be close at hand. To mark the 25th anniversary of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, there’ll be shiny new editions of all the books coming out this year. They will feature covers by Emily Gravett, two-time winner of the Carnegie Medal for illustration. lemonysnicket.com when a loved one has been murdered or you've spilled orange juice all over the floor. But it is during dreadful times that charming conversation is most prized and most comforting. I admire the Baudelaires for keeping this in mind as their ghastly history continued. I hate to ask but, Count Olaf... what are your thoughts on him these days? My thoughts on Count Olaf? I'm against him. I'm against almost all wickedness. After documenting so much of their lives, what do you most admire about the Baudelaire children? What I admire the most about Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire is their ability to carry on interesting conversation even when terrible things are happening around them. Talking to one another about the things on our minds, illustrated with stories we remember and whatever other charming observations seem suitable, is one of the crucial joys of life. It is easy to forget this when something terrible has happened, like 10 | www.teachwire.net