Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean (born October 31 1955) is an American journalist whose feature writing drolly but affectionately considers "softer" subjects than some of those covered by her colleagues. She has been a staff writer for "The New Yorker" since 1992, and has contributed articles to "Vogue", "Rolling Stone", "Esquire", and " Outside".

Orlean is the author of several books, including "The Orchid Thief", a profile of Florida orchid grower, breeder, and collector John Laroche. The book formed the basis of Charlie Kaufman's script for the Spike Jonze film "Adaptation." Orlean (portrayed by Meryl Streep in an Oscar-nominated role) was, in effect, made into a fictional character; the movie portrayed her as becoming Laroche's lover and partner in a drug smuggling operation, in which orchids were processed into a cocaine-like substance. She also wrote the "Women's Outside" article, "Life's Swell" (published 1998). The article, a feature on a group of young surfer girls in Maui, was the basis of the film "Blue Crush".

In 1999, she co-wrote "The Skinny: What Every Skinny Woman Knows About Dieting (And Won't Tell You!)" under her married name, Susan Sistrom. Her previously published magazine stories have been compiled in two collections, "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People" and "My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere". She also served as editor for Best American Essays 2005. She is currently working on a biographical history about the dog actor Rin Tin Tin.

Orlean is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

External links

* [http://www.susanorlean.com/ Susan Orlean Official Website]
* [http://www.identitytheory.com/people/birnbaum6.html IdentityTheory.com interview]