Susan Orlean (born October 31, 1955) is an American journalist, television writer, and bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book.

She has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992, and has contributed articles to many magazines including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside.

[5] Her first book, Saturday Night, was published in 1990, shortly after she moved to New York City from Boston and began writing for The New Yorker magazine.

[8] Orlean (portrayed by Meryl Streep,[9] who won a Golden Globe for the performance) was, in effect, made into a fictional character.

The movie portrayed her becoming Laroche's lover and partner in a drug production operation, in which orchids were processed into a psychoactive substance.

[11] The book uses the context of the April 1986 fire to explore the role of the public library, who uses them, and the void created if they are lost.

[13] In 2021, Orlean joined the writing staff of television series How To with John Wilson for the show's second season on HBO.

[19][20] Orlean was the winner of the 7th Annual Shorty Awards in the Author category, which honors the best social and digital media.