"You don't have to go to the far ends of the earth, but I'm willing to do that for you, and tell you what I found," says Susan Orlean, bestselling author of several books, including her latest, Joyride: A Memoir.

Look who’s back! It’s Susan Orlean, author of the memoir Joyride about her roller coaster career as a writer and journalist spanning decades from her time at Willamette Weekly here in Oregon to the summit of The New Yorker, from her first book Saturday Night to reaching bestseller heights with The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin, and The Library Book. It’s a book that braids her life story along with hard-earned writing wisdom.

We talk about:

Using notebook and pen over the recorder
The quality of her attention
Resilience
What is it that clicks with her for a story
Working through three regime of trust at The New Yorker
The more you learn of the world the better
Curiosity as a form of compassion
Idea generation
Her ‘best’ rejection
Why books loom larger for her
There is no end to a story
The breeding ground of jealousy
Letting the reporting meander
And Patreon questions!

This episode pairs well with:

Eps. 61, 121, and 281 with Susan
Ep. 500 with John McPhee
Ep. 514 with Tony Rehagen

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Episode 533: Susan Orlean on Her 'Best' Rejection, Coming Up with Ideas, and Letting the Reporting Meander

The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

Episode 533: Susan Orlean on Her 'Best' Rejection, Coming Up with Ideas, and Letting the Reporting Meander