Weekend Edition Saturday

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Scott Simon

Whether revealing events in small-town America or overseas, or profiling notable personalities, Weekend Edition from NPR News appreciates the extraordinary details that make up every story. This two-hour morning newsmagazine covers hard news, a wide variety of newsmakers, and cultural stories with care, accuracy, and a wink of humor. On Saturdays, host Scott Simon's award-winning commentaries sum up an idea or event related to the week's news. There are fresh reports from a cross-section of NPR correspondents on topics from religion to health to food to politics. Simon's interviews with key artists, authors, performers and personalities are always memorable.

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New Prosecutor In Fla. Shooting Case; Protests Spread

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Outrage over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin spread across the country this week following the release of the recordings of 911 calls. Trayvon Martin was unarmed. He'd gone out to purchase candy. Thousands of people protested this week, donning hooded sweatshirts in solidarity with Trayvon Martin, who was wearing one when he was shot. Many called for the arrest of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who says he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense.

5:03 am

Sat March 24, 2012

Basil Twist: A Genius, With Many A String Attached

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Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR

Puppeteer Basil Twist poses with Ballerina, the marionette at the center of a tragic love triangle in his adaptation of Petrushka.

Credit Photos by Doriane Raiman / NPR

Marionettes (and their manipulators) perform puppeteer Basil Twist's adaptation of Petrushka, backstage at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Credit Steven Menendez

Drag artist Joey Arias performs with the Dream Orchestra — all puppets, all of them handed down to Twist by his grandfather — in Arias With a Twist.

By Elizabeth Blair

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:56 am

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Basil Twist has been called a genius. The art he's a genius at? Puppetry — which he knows can be a hard sell.

"It's not of this time," he says. "It's not of the world we live in now."

But Twist, a highly trained practitioner, brings this art of the past to the present with innovative creations beyond the likes of the Muppets or their foul-mouthed cousins on Avenue Q.

4:57 am

Sat March 24, 2012

'The Big Con': If You Can't Avoid It, Avenge It

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Credit Julie Prisloe / Courtesy Knopf

Amy Reading holds a Ph.D. in American studies from Yale University. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and two children.

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Americans have always been fascinated by con men. Why else would we have so many movies about legendary swindlers? Most real-life cons are probably less entertaining than the ones on the silver screen, but in her new book, Amy Reading unearths a historical swindle that rivals anything ever imagined by Hollywood.

5:09 pm

Fri March 23, 2012

Julia Nunes: Homesick Anthems Spawn An Internet Star

Credit Shervin Lainez

Julia Nunes' new, fan-funded album is titled Settle Down.

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Originally published on Sat March 24, 2012 9:41 am

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7:00 am

Sat March 17, 2012

Composer Matches Music To Horse Hooves

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Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 9:07 am

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JACKI LYDEN, HOST:

As London prepares for an Olympic influx, the world's athletes are not the only ones limbering up. Composer Tom Hunt is at work with members of a British team who compete in the equestrian sport called dressage. He joins us from the BBC studios in Salford.

Thank you for joining us.

TOM HUNT: Thank you for having me.

LYDEN: The music that you compose for the equestrian competition, tell us how the music and the horse work together.

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7:00 am

Sat March 24, 2012