As Detroit Shuts Down Over Coronavirus, Service Workers Wonder What’s Next
For service industry workers, paid sick days and the ability to work remotely are a rare luxury. So not everyone in Michigan’s economy...
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.
For Minority Communities, ‘Coming Out’ is Still Hard To Do
Pop-culture may have it appear as though "coming out" has become an easier conversation. However, when going beneath the surface,...
Vote for Your Favorite Michigan Musician in WDET’s Music Madness Bracket
WDET Can anyone beat Stevie Wonder as a #1 seed? Is the juggalo fanbase of Insane Clown Posse big enough to...
“Pray The Gay Away” Puts Growing Up LGBTQ in Michigan’s Arab-American Community Center Stage
Courtesy of the Zakar Twins This weekend at the Baldwin Theatre, two Michigan actors will bring their story to life...
Detroit Razed Black Bottom. This Composer Doesn’t Want You To Forget.
Sishir Buddharaju / WDET Inside Orchestra Hall on a Wednesday morning in Detroit, composer Nkeiru Okoye is hearing a composition she...
Metro Detroiters Sound Off on DIA Millage Ahead of Michigan Primary
Next week on your Michigan primary ballot, will you vote yes or no on a millage renewal for the Detroit...
Are You Even Arab If You Don’t Have a Secret Life?
When Farah Al Qasimi got the opportunity to document Arab American culture in Detroit and Dearborn, she considered it a “dream...
Detroit Announces City Arts Plan Including Fundraising, Programming
The City of Detroit announced plans today to expand city hall’s support of local arts, culture and music initiatives, including...
In Kesswa’s Music, Detroit Techno and Nigerian Gospel Find Common Ground
Kesswa's debut EP "Soften" plays out like a long-awaited release of breath. The four-song project matches contemplative lyrics and ambient vibe...
Twenty Years Later, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Still Boasts a Powerful Message
In the late 1990s, two New Yorkers – playwright John Cameron Mitchell and composer Stephen Trask – debuted the story...
Watch Oscar-Winning “Hair Love” Right Now, And See More Shorts at the Detroit Film Theatre
There’s something magnetic about the art of the short film. Elliot Wilhelm, director of the Detroit Film Theatre accredits this fascination...
Freep Film Festival Picks “America, You Kill Me,” on Detroit Gay Rights Activist, for Opening Night
"America, You Kill Me," a documentary about Detroit gay rights activist Jeffrey Montgomery, will open this year's Freep Film Festival,...