Detroit Author Alice Randall Brings Black Bottom Back to Life
The historic Black Bottom neighborhood was the vibrant epicenter of Black life in Detroit. And in Alice Randall’s new book...
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.
This Detroit Musician Traces Her Musical Roots to the Antebellum South
String instruments like the fiddle hold a special place in Naima Shamborguer’s heart and family legacy. In tracing the roots...
Comedy Can Change How We Think About Social Justice
Comedy is a crafty way to divulge dark truths and critique everything through humor. “Comedy really does have properties to...
Three Detroit Jazz Classics Everyone Should Know
Former Detroit Free Press arts reporter and critic Mark Stryker is one of the city’s greatest authorities on homegrown jazz....
Comedian Alex Bozinovic Comes Out Every Time He Steps On Stage
When comedian Alex Bozinovic steps on stage, he’s coming out over and over again. For the audience, it’s confessional and...
Paywall Goes Up At Detroit Free Press, News
The major dailies in Detroit will start putting some of their content behind a digital paywall starting on Wednesday, August...
Survey Finds Black, White Metro Detroiters Feel Far Apart on Access to the Arts
A new report shows that white and Black metro Detroiters feel far apart when it comes to their ability to...
Orville Hubbard. Lewis Cass. What Happens When Michigan’s Problematic Past Catches Up?
America’s problematic past of racism, slavery and systemic oppression often finds itself fossilized in our street names, statues and buildings...
Pop Culture Gets Mental Illness Wrong. Here’s How to Shift the Narrative.
The portrayal of mental illness in pop culture is often volatile, stigmatized and inaccurate, says Dr. Vasilis Pozios, M.D., an...
Resident Calls for Name Change of Indian Village, Historic Detroit Neighborhood
There’s a call to change the name of a historic Detroit neighborhood. Since the 19th century, Indian Village on the...
Watch a Short Film On the Black Woman Who Integrated the Boblo Boats
On a summer day in 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray stood up for something because she wasn’t allowed to sit down....
Marvin Gaye, 50 Years Later: Why We’re Still Asking “What’s Going On?”
The rich layers of Marvin Gaye’s unmistakeable vocals. The lush strings of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. An important message that...
