Meghan O'Rourke is an acclaimed American nonfiction writer, poet, and critic. She was born on January 26, 1976. O'Rourke is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Memoir (Riverhead Books, 2011), and the poetry collections Once (W. W. Norton, 2011) and Halflife (W. W. Norton, 2007).

She has held influential editorial positions, serving as a former literary editor of Slate and poetry editor of The Paris Review. Her essays and poems have been featured in prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, Poetry, The Kenyon Review, and The Best American Poetry. In recognition of her contributions to poetry, she was awarded the 2008 May Sarton Award for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Meghan O'Rourke divides her time between Brooklyn, NY, where she grew up, and Marfa, TX.