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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Scott Simon asks Edmund White about his new novel, "A Previous Life."
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Non-alcoholic beer sales are booming as people embrace Dry January or just cut back on their drinking. Craft brewers are also getting into the action.
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Scott Simon talks with University of Maryland graduate student Rosie Grant about her TikTok account, ghostlyarchive, and the food she's cooked from recipes found on gravestones.
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Scott Simon speaks to Dennis Tajer of the Allied Pilots Association about the use of 5G spectrum for wireless internet and its impact on flight safety.
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Scott Simon speaks with British performer Olly Alexander about his new album, "Night Call."
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Scott Simon speaks with Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Christine Baranski about her new HBO drama, "The Gilded Age," written by "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes.
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NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Tamara Rojo, the new artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet, about her vision for the role.
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NPR's Scott Simon checks in again with Izzy Peoples, a sixth-grader in Atlanta first interviewed by Weekend Edition in May 2020. She describes what it's been like being a kid during the pandemic.
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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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NPR's Scott Simon talks to author Elizabeth George about her new mystery, "Something to Hide."