DCist is growing, and I couldn’t be any more thrilled to introduce you to our newest staff writer.

Elliot Williams comes to us from Washingtonian, where he was most recently an assistant editor. He has interned at Syracuse.com, The Atlantic, and Catholic News Service’s Rome Bureau. He is also the founding editor of a music and pop culture blog, UTIOM (Under the Influence of Music).

We’ve followed Elliot’s work for more than a year, and found that he is just as good at of-the-moment stories (like the appearance of these unusual political posters) as profiles (he interviewed GoldLink upon the rapper’s return to D.C.) as explainers (he dug deep on Moechella) as enterprise stories (his feature on the forgotten history of D.C.’s first golf course for African Americans was unforgettable.)

It would be hard to overstate how much Elliot has impressed us. He has strong sensibilities about what makes for a good story and a keen understanding of the complexities of the District. In a memo to us, he wrote:  “The city’s history rears its head every day. It’s a history of segregation, gradual integration after Brown v. Board, federal job availability, Howard University’s prominence, and increasing gentrification. But what makes this city most interesting to cover is that it’s a place where history and possibility intersect daily.”

Elliot holds a bachelor’s from Villanova University and a master’s from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. He’s a Philly transplant, so you’ll often catch him in a Wawa—or his favorite bars, bookstores, and concert venues across the District. His slightly-above-average rec league basketball team is looking for players, so email him if you can hoop (serious inquiries only).

You’re definitely going to want to give him a follow.