Brian Platzer
Novelist and middle school teacher known for the novel The Optimist; discusses teaching, his real-life mentor Rod Keating, and his neurological disorder in the interview.
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Mar 4, 2026 • 30min
Brian Platzer: A Story that Literally Couldn't be Told
Brian Platzer, novelist and middle school teacher best known for The Optimist, speaks about the real-life teacher who inspired his book. He discusses crafting a narrator who loses speech, researching assistive technology, and balancing readability with experimental form. He also shares his experience caring for a mentor after a stroke and living with a baffling neurological disorder.
