The unedited transcript of Phalana Tiller's interviews with Marc Freedman and Philip Levine for the October 2011 episode of Drucker on the Dial entitled "Shifting Gears." First, Marc Freedman talks about the changing demographics in the United States and the reason for his book entitled The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife. In his book, he argues that we need to start rewriting the map of life so that it fits the much longer life spans of people living in the United States, and in much of the developed world. Freedman says that in order to come to terms with this longevity revolution, we need to begin to think about the trajectory of life in new ways, to think about what the map of life is, and to think about what the stages of life might be. He explains that life stages are inventions, and are concocted to make more sense of the life course. Freedman says that if older people are well deployed, they have the potential of becoming an asset that could lead to a competitive advantage among nations. He discusses Bob Buford's notion of "halftime," and recognizes the significant slice of life up ahead in which there will be enough time to really do something important, something that will not just leave a legacy, but gives an opportunity to live one. Freedman adds that Peter Drucker and John Gardner were both realists who held firm moral compasses. He explains how this new life stage path could lead to a period that's both a time for renewal, and a time for redirection. Freedman goes on to say that he would like to be remembered for contributing to the idea of returning to generativity, as a major cultural value in America. Next, Philip Levine, United States poet laureate, discusses what being the poet laureate means to him. He shares that even though there are times when he is not engaged in his work as a poet, poets continually shop for imagery. Levine says that he wrote his best work between the ages of 50 and 60, and that he hit a certain stride in his late 40s, or maybe even a little earlier. He talks about his teaching, and reminisces about his time in Spain, where he had the whole day to write, think, and walk around Barcelona and fill his head with fantastic imagery. Levine says that poetry on factory life hardly existed, and that factory life and hardworking life made an indelible impression on him. He recalls his time working for the Railway Express, and a man who had an enormous influence on him while he was working as a delivery guy for cleaners and dyers. He goes on to describe what he would like his children and grandchildren to remember him for, and his hope that his readers will view his work as moving. The poem "What Work Is" is recited at the end of the interview.
Interviews Freedman, Marc Levine, Philip, 1928- Authorship Demography Baby boom generation Older people Gardner, John W. (John William), 1912-2002 Legacies Work Labor Poets laureate Poetry Factories Manual work Automobile industry and trade Spain Teaching Brothers
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