Thirteen years ago, I wrote my first story for Hour.
It was a ride-along with the Wayne State Police, one of the rare campus police organizations that patrol the surrounding neighborhoods, too. The police force is one of the main reasons that the Cass Corridor and its Midtown rebranding have succeeded over the years.
As with many of my stories for Hour, I was late on that deadline. I sent flowers to the editor to apologize. “A man has never sent me flowers before,” he said.
In so many ways, I’m happy to give this magazine its flowers for its 30th anniversary, too.
When that piece was published back in February 2013 with gorgeous photos in a glossy, well-designed magazine, it was the first time I had ever seen my work reflected like that. It’s a writer’s dream in a lot of ways to have that fancy magazine feature laid out in just the right way.
And as sexy and ego-stroking as it is for the writer, I never forget that the most important piece is you — the reader. And the reality is that magazines like this don’t just exist anymore.
It’s a harder-to-find dream in this media landscape, although there’s hope that the next generation will find a way to embrace print media and keep it alive. I don’t know about you, but I still buy physical paper and love the feeling of it in my hands. If vinyl album sales can top more than $1 billion like they did last year (the first time this feat has been matched since 1983), why can’t the magazine stand make a roaring comeback?
That’s what makes Hour a special magazine to me and for this region. I’ve survived many editors and regime changes here (I’ll gladly toot my horn here, since that’s the only thing signaling to me that I might be alright at this), and Hour has weathered many storms.
There’s nothing else like it in metro Detroit, and it’s up there with other top regional magazines in the country.
And in the decade-plus that I’ve been here, I’ve covered everything — from the local police department to neighborhood changemakers to great local musicians (including Jeff Daniels this month!). I’ve been able to travel, too, including a trip to Nashville to cover the food and music scene and a wonderful visit to the gorgeous Blackbirch Cabin in Boyne. Hopefully, there will be much more of that this year.
The biggest honor is being able to write this column and having my editor, Kate, allow me to be quite vulnerable with it, sharing stories of my family and my personal experiences of growing up in metro Detroit.
I wrote about my complicated relationship with my mother last year, and many people approached me to talk about their own. They were liberating conversations that truly jumped off the page.
I wrote about my long-term relationship with a restaurant — The Fly Trap in Ferndale — and heard that regulars there were brought to tears by feeling a similar sense of camaraderie bellying up to the counter of this quirky brunch spot.
With writing, the more specific you are about your own experiences, the more universal it truly is. And for any writer, it’s a blessing to have an outlet like Hour to share stories in. And in metro Detroit, we’re lucky to have Hour to bring us together.
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the host of In the Groove on 101.9 WDET Detroit Public Radio (weekdays from noon to 3 p.m.).
This story originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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