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.

Manipulated and Manufactured: A Veteran Journalist Talks Identifying “Fake News” and Gaining Trust

As humans, we love being “in the know” and sharing what we know -- or think we know. What has...

How To Keep Your Sense of Humor with Detroit Comedian T. Barb

How does Detroit comedian Tiffany “T. Barb” Barber keep a sense of humor about everything the world has thrown at...

84-Year-Old Detroit Artist, Educator Honored With $50,000 Lifetime Achievement Award

Kresge Arts in Detroit Shirley Woodson has joined the small, elite club of Detroiters who can call themselves a Kresge...

The Annual Sphinx Competition Delivers Music, Message on Arts Representation

Working at the intersection of social justice and the arts, the Sphinx Organization is an international organization based in Detroit...

Detroit Jazz Legend Wendell Harrison Wants You To “Get Up Off Your Knees” On New Album

Wendell Harrison is more than “just a Detroit guy” as he describes himself. Courtesy of Wendell Harrison The tenor saxophonist,...

Actor Wendell Pierce Secretly Filmed a Play in Detroit. This Is The Music That Got Him Here.

An experiment in how to bring live theatre back during the pandemic is taking place in Ann Arbor. The University of...

Television Shows May Appear More Diverse, But Representation Still Lacks Quality

Hollywood and the entertainment industry still have work to do when it comes to cultivating a more diverse and inclusive...

What Could An Artist Do With $25,000? Kresge Arts in Detroit Wants To Know

Another year, another round of Kresge Artist Fellowships. This year's cycle of $25,000 awards are given to a total of...

Can Parents Influence What Music Their Kids Like? A Musicologist Explains

When it comes to musical taste, why do we love some things and can’t stand the sound of others? Is...

The Detroit Institute of Arts Added 463 Works of Art To Its Collection in 2020

DIA The Detroit Institute of Arts acquired 463 works of art this year. While the vast majority of those acquisitions...

Embrace Michigan Winter With A Uniquely Scandinavian Approach

The days get dark at 5 p.m. The wind chills your bones when you run outside to grab that thing...

Who Is Ike White? New Documentary Captures Incredible Story of Incarcerated Musician

One of the great untold stories of American music history finds a new audience in the documentary “The Changin’ Times...