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...
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.
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,...
At 92-Years-Old, Can the Academy Awards Still Learn New Tricks?
The 92nd annual Academy Awards are happening this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. One of the biggest storylines in...
Sphinx Competition at Orchestra Hall Highlights Diversity in Classical Music
The 23rd annual Sphinx Competition will fill Orchestra Hall in Detroit on Saturday night. This national competition provides a space...
Mandy Patinkin, Performing At Fisher Theatre, Sings ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ On CultureShift
From 7-years-old performing at a synagogue in the southside of Chicago to making his way to Detroit to sing at the Fisher Theatre,...
Motown’s Lamont Dozier Started as a Janitor. Then He Wrote 500 Songs.
In The Groove is WDET's award-winning series that highlights the music that has defined the lives of creatives from all...
Comedian Erica Rhodes Looks for Love in the Cars of Strangers
Erica Rhodes released her debut stand-up album “Sad Lemon” last year, reaching #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. But her...
The Art of Losing Someone
Ryan Patrick Hooper How do artists remember their dead? For the friends of Stretch Adam, it was about following in...
Music Journalist Sean Cannon Covers the Legacy of The White Stripes in New Podcast Series
There are a handful of artists synonymous with Detroit, and The White Stripes is one of them. "Nobody has went through...
There Are Only 43 Players of Color in the NHL. Three of Them Play for the Red Wings — a Historic First
National Hockey League Willie O’Ree became the NHL’s first Black Canadian player in a game back in 1958. Now the...