I’m an Australian-born writer who lives in New Orleans. I’ve reported from every continent on earth, including places as far afield as Turkmenistan, Ethiopia, North Korea, and the backwoods of Alabama.

Writing credits include The Guardian, The Times, GQ, The New Republic, Monocle, Foreign Policy, National Geographic and Lonely Planet. In 2024, I received the Award of Excellence from the Religion Communicators Council for my story Demons be gone: meeting America’s new exorcists, for The Guardian.

I’ve also appeared in documentaries for Discovery+ and Beetota Advocate, co-hosted False Prophets for IHeartRadio, and am a regular on ABC’s Planet America (PEP) podcast.

My first book, Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity is Taking Over the World, was published by Hurst/OUP in 2021.

I’m currently working on my second book, about the Unification Church (aka the Moonies), for Simon & Schuster.

Contact me for work, enquiries, and confidential tips at ellehardy[at]pm.me.

[No PR pitches, please, unless you’re offering lavish holidays]