12 Tips for an Awesome Life from Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown

The fact that Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) and his illustrator partner/wife are funny should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with their work. The former is best known for his Series of Unfortunate Events books and the latter for her brilliantly droll Three Panel Book Reviews and haunting young adult book Picture the Dead. But the duo’s recent appearance on Forum was not only humorous, but revealed a life-approach that embraces imagination and finds mystery in the everyday. And was about as much fun as you can have on the radio without accruing FFC fines.

The two filled our studios with such joy, affection and quick wit that I can’t help but interpret the interview any other way than to say we should all have this much fun in life. So here, courtesy of Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown are 12 tips for an awesome life.

1. Make your own Christmas cards even if it means sending them 19 years late.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lisa-brown-on-how-29-myths

2. Make time for enchantment.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/literature-should-re-enchant

3. Obey your mom — always — until you’re 30.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-says-to-always

4. Appreciate adulthood.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/childhood-is-awful

5. Celebrate the scary.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/kids-books-should-celebrate

6. Occasionally imitate Marlene Dietrich.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/charlottes-web-as-narrated-by

7. Embrace death.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-on-autographing

8. Take time to read the classics.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-on-the-time

9. Let people know you admire their work.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-on-edward-gorey

10. See the positive in every situation.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-on-his-attic

11. Read Roald Dahl.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lisa-brown-and-lemony-snicket

12. Create your own serendipity.

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-on-wooing-is

You can listen to the complete interview, which includes more lifesaving tips, below:

https://soundcloud.com/kqedforum/lemony-snicket-and-lisa-brown

And FOR EVEN MORE of Lisa and Lemony, listen to a 2005 reading from Lisa Brown’s book Baby, Mix Me a Drink and a 2006 reading from Daniel Handler’s book Adverbs.