He's had a stellar career with words, but New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik is finding things especially sweet in the second half of life. After all, how often does an author get to be in a movie--playing himself--with Cate Blanchett? That was him, interviewing the lead character in the movie Tár.

Now we turn the tables, and interview Gopnik for the latest edition of My Better Half. JPR's Vanessa Finney exchanges some words with the writer about the joys of lifelong learning in his new book The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery -- including how he deepened his relationship with his adult children by tackling new challenges together.