Saturday mornings are made for Weekend Edition Saturday, the program wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.
Drawing on his experience in covering 10 wars and stories in all 50 states and seven continents, Simon brings a humorous, sophisticated and often moving perspective to each show. He is as comfortable having a conversation with a major world leader as he is talking with a Hollywood celebrity or the guy next door.
Weekend Edition Saturday has a unique and entertaining roster of other regular contributors. Marin Alsop, conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, talks about music. Daniel Pinkwater, one of the biggest names in children's literature, talks about and reads stories with Simon. Financial journalist Joe Nocera follows the economy. Howard Bryant of EPSN.com and NPR's Tom Goldman chime in on sports. Keith Devlin, of Stanford University, unravels the mystery of math, and Will Grozier, a London cabbie, talks about good books that have just been released, and what well-read people leave in the back of his taxi. Simon contributes his own award-winning essays, which are sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant.
Weekend Edition Saturday is heard on NPR Member stations across the United States, and around the globe on NPR Worldwide. The conversation between the audience and the program staff continues throughout the social media world.
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NPR's Scott Simon talks with Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Cordae about his second full-length album, From A Bird's Eye View, and the benefits and drawbacks of sudden fame.
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A reflection on the directorial philosophy of Peter Bogdanovich, who died this week at the age of 82. He believed good accidents made great films.
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Some white congregations are paying what they're calling "royalites" when they sing hymns that come from the Negro spiritual tradition. They say it's a matter of racial justice.
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Scott Simon interviews celebrated novelist Hanya Yanagihara about her newest work, "To Paradise," an epic tale spanning 200 years in a fictionalized New York City.
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The situation in Kazakhstan has implications for the stability of the region and for U.S. energy companies active in the Central Asian country.
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President Biden is making a push for new voting rights legislation. But he faces an uphill battle with the public and Congress.
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The three men convicted of killing Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison Friday. Only one was given the possibility of parole.
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President Joe Biden says there's no federal solution to the pandemic as cases climb dramatically.
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David Gura speaks with soul food historian Adrian Miller about the Southern tradition of making black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.
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David Gura talks with Meadowlark Media's Howard Bryant about the college football championships, the impact of COVID-19 on the sports world, and the passing of John Madden.