Elie is an Ashkenazi American writer and musician based in downtown Manhattan. A native of New York, he studied creative writing at the New School, graduating with an MFA in 2015.
His first book was 2019’s “It’s A Whole Spiel”, a Knopf YA fiction anthology focusing on Jewish stories. He also created a kids horror podcast called The Creeping Hour with GBH Boston / PRX which reached #1 on Apple Podcast’s Kids and Family Chart shortly after its release.
Elie has published short fiction, journalism, and book reviews for Supernatural Tales, 70 Faces, Jewish Currents, the Huffington Post, the Jewish Book Council, the H.E. Weekly Shopper, and OpenDor Media. He has a book coming out that is a horror novel about teenage true-crime obsessives, aspiring lepidopterists, murderous cults, and skateboarding aliens.
Elie’s favorite band of all time is the Beatles.
LABA project:
Elie will write an original story during each month of the fellowship year. These will be gathered into a book at the close. The stories are designed to stand alone but will also combine into an anthologized narrative. Each story will take place on a different Jewish holiday and will make use of the day’s themes and observances in its plotting and scares.
If you could break something, what would it be?
Infinity!
There’s a skateboarding trick I’ve been trying to land for a few years now called “breaking infinity.” I’m so close!