Author and broadcaster Scott Simon, longtime host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, joins us to discuss a new book about his mother's life and death, the lessons she taught him, and the bond they shared.

Best-selling author Erik Larson who shot to fame with his classic, Chicago-inspired book, The Devil In the White City is once again using his celebrated storytelling skills to recount the shocking last voyage of the Lusitania.

An exhibition at The Field Museum looks at City Windows, the papercut artwork of Chinese artist Qiao Xiaoguang now on display at two locations in Chicago. We get a preview.

Feast your eyes on flowers, real and painted; view intricate papercuts of iconic landscapes in Chicago and Beijing; and celebrate Easter by donning your best bunny ears or '70s garb. Chicago Tonight has your weekend picks.

More than 150 years after Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a new book gives writers the opportunity to respond. The only catch, their essays had to be exactly 272 words -- the length of the original speech -- and be written in long-hand as Lincoln would have done. We talk with the editor who came up with the idea and one of the essayists.

We revisit a conversation with famed soprano Deborah Voigt about her career and autobiography.

We revisit a profile Jay Shefsky did on a Chicago artist on a personal crusade to paint and preserve 200 rare native plants.

Chicago's own Ethel Payne was the third African-American to ever receive White House press credentials–and she was only the second black woman to do so. We talk with the author of a biography about the importance of her legacy.

Watch a mariachi opera set in 1910 Mexico; enjoy a musical set in 1950s Las Vegas; and kick off the running season in present day Grant Park. Chicago Tonight ​has your weekend picks.

Best-known for the movies Ray and An Officer and a Gentleman, director Taylor Hackford is in Chicago directing a musical stage show about the legendary Vegas husband and wife team, Louis Prima and Keely Smith. We get a preview.

A Russian-born artist painted the town in the 1930s, but very little of his mural work is left. Where can you see these stunning panels? Geoffrey Baer answers this question and more in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.

The finalists for this year's James Beard Awards have been released. Ten local names made the list of finalists in the restaurant and chef awards categories.

An exhibition at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston looks at the "haute couture" that has long existed in Native American communities. We get a preview.

Two years ago, Lyric Opera of Chicago presented what was called the world's first mariachi opera. It was well-received and a big hit with audiences--so much so that it spawned another mariachi opera. This time around it's a Lyric Opera commission that has brought back together the same creative team and many of the same performers from the previous work. Its title is El Pasado Nunca Se Termina or The Past Is Never Finished, and it's receiving its world premiere here in Chicago.

Homeless youth are one of Chicago’s most vulnerable populations. Estimates vary, but roughly 2,000 Chicago teens are thought to be homeless each night. But homelessness for youth often looks very different than it does for adults. Advocates call it "housing instability." We visit one program trying to prevent these teens from becoming chronically homeless adults.    

The head honchos at The Second City discuss their book about the importance of improv in everyday life.