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 1982, and has contributed articles to Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside. is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... This article is about the magazine. ... August 2005 issue of Esquire Esquire is a mens magazine by the Hearst Corporation. ... Outside is a magazine focused on the outdoors. ...

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) 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. The Orchid Thief is a non-fiction work of literature by American journalist and author Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969), is an American director of music videos and commercials, and an Academy Award-nominated director and producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mary Louise Streep, mostly known as Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an Academy Award-winning American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. ... These lollipops were found to contain heroin when inspected by the US DEA The illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging and sale of illegal psychoactive substances. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...

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. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... See World Wide Web for surfing the web; see also Wind surfing Surfing at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. ... For other uses, see Maui (disambiguation). ... Blue Crush is a 2002 surfer film directed by John Stockwell and based on the Outside magazine article Surfer Girls of Maui by Susan Orlean. ...

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".

External links

• Susan Orlean Official Website
• IdentityTheory.com interview