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Susan Orlean has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992. There, she’s published a plethora of in-depth features and profiles on subjects you didn’t know would fascinate you, until her boundless curiosity pins you to the page.
Orlean is the author of eight books. Most recently, she’s published a memoir, Joyride, in which she goes behind the scenes of her books and magazine articles to tell us the stories behind how they came to be. (It’s a five-star read worth your time.) She recently sat down with Brendan O’Meara, host of the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, to talk about the surprising reader response she’s seen to Joyride, the importance of resilience and curiosity, and what she views as her mission as a writer.
This conversation was lightly edited for pacing and flow.
