A Love Letter to a Former Teacher with Brian Platzer
Totally Booked with Zibby
Zibby Owens
4.5 • 643 Ratings
🗓️ 19 March 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Brian Platzer’s novel The Optimists was just reviewed in the New York Times Book Review. I interviewed him live at the Whitby about his beloved teacher, who fell victim to a stroke and whom he visited for years afterwards, how Sarah Jessica Parker interviewed him at a recent event, and the power of loyalty. It also features a love story gone wrong about teens and a star student’s descent.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, this is Zibi Owens, and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly, moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest, best-selling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators, whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive |
| 0:24.0 | look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't |
| 0:29.3 | have to. |
| 0:30.3 | Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do every single day. |
| 0:36.2 | For more information, go to zibbimedia.com and follow me on Instagram at Zibby Owens. |
| 0:44.7 | Brian Plitzer is back on Totally Booked to discuss his new book, The Optimists, a novel. |
| 0:51.3 | This was recorded live at the Whitby Hotel. |
| 0:53.4 | Brian was the education columnist for the |
| 0:55.2 | Atlantic and has written frequently for the New York Times, the New Yorker, New York Magazine, and many |
| 0:59.5 | other publications. He was on this podcast first for The Body Politic, then came taking the |
| 1:05.5 | stress out of homework, bedstye is burning, and now the optimists. Welcome to Totally Booked with Sibby. |
| 1:12.4 | I'm delighted to be here today, live at the Whitby with Brian Platter, who has been on my podcast before, but is back again with his new book, The Optimists. |
| 1:20.8 | Congratulations. |
| 1:21.7 | Thank you so much. |
| 1:22.3 | I've been so looking forward to this. |
| 1:27.8 | FYI, Brian also wrote, |
| 1:30.0 | Bed Stey is Burning, the Body Politic, |
| 1:32.3 | the parenting book, |
| 1:33.2 | Taking the Stress Out of Homework, |
| 1:35.1 | and is a middle school English teacher. |
| 1:37.3 | So, yay. |
| 1:39.2 | Yeah, I'll take applause for that. |
... |
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