Richard M. Elman (April 23, 1934 – December 31, 1997) was an American novelist, poet, journalist, and teacher. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Yiddish-speaking and came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century from Russo-Poland. His boyhood is captured in his comic novel Fredi & Shirl & The Kids: An Autobiography In Fables. Elman thought of himself as a socialist and his journalism reflected his concerns about social and political injustice.