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.

In The Groove with Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson

Photo by Nick Anderson Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Did you know that...

If Marijuana Becomes Legal, How High Can You Get in Michigan?

Brett Levin, flickr. Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. When Michiganders step into the voting...

Not-so-Broke Artists: Detroit’s Creative Class Cashes in on $25,000 Kresge Grants

Noah Stephens / Kresge Arts in Detroit Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. For...

Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk As Design at Cranbrook Art Museum

Photo: the Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia Click on the audio player above for the full conversation. Punk has invaded the Cranbrook...

In The Groove with Shepard Fairey

Fairey's iconic "Obey Giant" artwork (courtesy of artist) Click on the audio player above for the full conversation. In the...

In The Groove with JR JR’s Josh Epstein

Courtesy of JR JR Click on the audio player above for the full conversation.  Indie rock group JR JR is...

Can We See Some I.D.?

Courtesy of the artist. A duo of young artists-turned-curators in Detroit have joined forces for #BLACKiD -- an art exhibition that...

No Talent Losers: 16+ National Artists to Exhibit at Hamtramck’s KO Studio Gallery

KO Gallery On Saturday, a new art exhibit, “It’s So Warm In The D,” will open at the KO Studio...

Men Need Not Apply: Women in Comedy Festival Celebrates Female Performers

Nancy Hayden The Women in Comedy festival is happening right now and runs through this Sunday, June 3rd. With a...

Michigan Playwright Returns Home With New Detroit Public Theatre Play

Chuck Nowak/ Detroit Public Theatre Grand Rapids native Noah Haidle is a playwright whose productions have been staged off-Broadway in...

The Force Is Strong With The DIA

2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. For the next four months the Detroit Institute of Arts will be featuring the...

Locally Made Guitars Make New Sounds Out of Detroit’s Old Buildings

Wallace Guitars Since 2014, Wallace Detroit Guitars has been using reclaimed wood from buildings in Detroit such as the Connor Avenue...