Laurie Halse Anderson, born Laurie Beth Halse on October 23, 1961, is a distinguished American writer, renowned for her contributions to children's and young adult novels. She has been honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2010 for her significant contributions to young adult literature. In 2023, she received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Anderson gained recognition for her novel Speak, published in 1999. Her memoir in verse, SHOUT, details her survival of sexual assault at the age of thirteen and serves as a manifesta for the #MeToo era. It has received widespread critical acclaim and was longlisted for the National Book Award. Anderson's books have sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. She has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award four times, and two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, with Chains also being short-listed for the prestigious award.