Brian James Polak was born and raised in New Hampshire. His plays include WELCOME TO KEENE, NH, THE PATIENT (The Kennedy Center’s Jean Kennedy Smith Award), LAST TO DIE FOR A LOST CAUSE (The Kennedy Center’s John Cauble Award), HERE RESTS THE HEART, THE GRAVEDIGGERS UNION, THE CALL LIST, THE MEETING, and others. His work has been published by Smith & Kraus, Talon Review, Commonplace Books, NoPassport Press, Next Stage Press, and Canyon Voices. Since 2015, Brian has hosted a podcast, called The Subtext, where he interviews playwrights. The Subtext has been presented monthly by American Theatre magazine since 2018. In 2025 he was commissioned by Son of Semele in Los Angeles to write a memoir play titled THIS IS THE SUBTEXT about his experiences as a playwright/podcaster. Brian currently resides in Minneapolis, MN with his wife Heather and their dog Hercules Mulligan.