A New Curator at Cliff Bell’s Brings Detroit Jazz Back to the Stage
A new curator at downtown jazz club Cliff Bell’s is putting the spotlight on local musicians. As a bassist himself,...
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.
Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.
Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.
His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.
Michigan Musician Olivia Dear Brings Live Music Back to WDET’s Studio A
Courtesy of Olivia Dear When the world shut down, so did WDET’s Studio A. The recording space has seen performances...
Writing Program at Macomb Correctional Facility Gives Voice to the Incarcerated in New Anthology
A new anthology of poetry is giving a voice to Michigan prisoners. “Absent But Present: Voices from the Writer’s Block”...
“Destroy The Hairdresser” Podcast Explores Eliminating Tips at Hair Salons
Tipping has been a part of America’s service-based economic and cultural fabric for years. Debates have circulated around the concept...
Akeem Smith’s Trip Through Cultural Memory Makes “No Gyal Can Test” Must-See Viewing
Walking into Akeem Smith’s solo debut exhibition is an overwhelming, audio-visual head trip. And that’s a good thing. It’s called...
Clark Orwick, Who Performed As Ded Bob at Michigan Renaissance Festival, Has Passed Away
The performer best known as Ded Bob, who performed for decades at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, has passed away. Paul...
Meet Effa Manley, the First and Only Woman Inducted Into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
The existence of the Negro Leagues not only created space for Black players to rise in the game of baseball....
“Dual Vision” at MOCAD Puts Detroit Artists From Across Generations In The Same Room
COVID-19 has shifted the nature of collaboration, but it hasn’t made it impossible. That reality is demonstrated in the exhibition...
Michigan’s Ice Culture Comes Into Focus At New Photo Exhibit
Detroit photographer Amy Sacka is marking the end of ice fishing season in Michigan with a stunning new exhibit of...
New York Philharmonic’s Anthony McGill To Perform With DSO This Weekend
Musician Anthony McGill made waves in 2020 even though he couldn’t perform on stage with the New York Philharmonic, where...
From Billie Holiday to “Over the Rainbow,” the Influence of Jewish Americans on Pop Culture
On March 23, the book “There Was A Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream” is getting a revised and...
“Jazz From Detroit” Author Mark Stryker Celebrates Jazz This Weekend at the DSO
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is throwing a virtual jazz marathon this weekend. Courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Starting at...