Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
  • 4.9 (20K)
  • DOCUMENTARY
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Ear Hustle
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Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, and that’s what listening to the show feels like: a raw, often funny, and always surprising peek into the reality of life inside prison.  Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show that launched in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, where Nigel was a volunteer teaching photography. Since Earlonne’s release in 2018, the show has expanded to include stories from prisons across the state, including the California Institution for Women, as well as stories about getting out of prison and starting over, post-incarceration. From finding romance, to grappling with a life sentence, to trying to parent via 15-minute phone calls, Ear Hustle stories deliver what This American Life host Ira Glass calls a “"very real” and “untragic” take on prison life.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent listener-supported podcasts. Discover audio with vision at radiotopia.fm and learn more about Ear Hustle at earhustlesq.com.

  1. 1 DAY AGO • EAR HUSTLE + ONLY

    EH+ Where’s Us at Now?

    Earlonne catches up with Charles Deron, who first appeared on the Ear Hustle Season 5 episode “Us and Them.” Back then, Charles described a beating he received at the hands of corrections officers retaliating for a violent attack his gang committed on staff. Today, Charles talks about working for Tesla, what was wrong with the episode, and how he would tell it his way.Is there someone from a past Ear Hustle episode you’d like an update on? Email us at info@earhustlesq.com. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Mentioned in this episode:EH episode "Us and Them" Prison Legal News report on Crips attacking staff

    33 min
  2. My Understanding of This Place, Part 1

    OCT 16

    My Understanding of This Place, Part 1

    Nigel — with help from our team inside San Quentin — has been cooking up an episode that her co-host knows nothing about. Without giving too much away, we can tell you that it involves visiting a part of the prison no one on Ear Hustle had seen before … with, of course, a few detours along the way. Part 1 of a two-part series.   Special thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry for letting Nigel and our inside team explore and record inside East Block, and to Rabbi Paul Shleffar for hosting us inside the chapel.  This episode was scored with music by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis. Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    49 min

  3. OCT 9 • EAR HUSTLE + ONLY

    EH+ Looking Back at “Us and Them”

    Nigel, Earlonne, and Bruce listen to “Us and Them,” an Ear Hustle Season 5 episode about the relationship between corrections officers and incarcerated people, and discuss what they still like, what they would change, and where things stand today. Is there someone from a past Ear Hustle episode you’d like an update on? Email us at info@earhustlesq.com.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Mentioned in this episodePrison Legal News: Prisoners assault prison staffPrison Legal News: Eight Corcoran Guards fired, five reinstatedThe Language Project Ear Hustle episodes featuring Reggie Thorpe:Tray, Tumbler, SporkThe Five Senses12 Hours on the YardMoms Reggie talks to Marshawn Lynch and Gavin Newsom (starts a little after the 8:00 mark)Multiple COs appear in Season 3 Catch a Kite episode!

    1h 35m
  4. Election!

    OCT 2

    Election!

    Incarcerated people in California can’t vote, but that doesn't mean they aren’t tracking electoral politics as closely as many of us on the outside are. In this episode, Ear Hustle’s inside team reveals the winner of its San Quentin presidential poll, while the outside team travels to the Central California Women’s Facility to see how people there would vote, if they had the opportunity.    You can find information about registering to vote here.  Thanks to everyone who spoke to us for this episode, including: Juan, Jerry, Oola, David, Lee, Wesley, Mario, Jose, Shawn, Raymond, Jessie, Cristian, Luis, Cesar, Tomas, Adam, Daniel, Michael Tulo, Bostyon, Greg, Cory, Hardeep, Matthew, and Katy at San Quentin; Lanika, Wendy, Tameka, Latoya, Erica, Amy Lynn, Elizabeth, Mariam, Rosa, Mei, Lori Ann, Charity, Jasmine, Kaieesha, Diamond, Elisa, Debanee, Kaylee, Tina, and Cleo at the Central California Women’s Facility; and Lakshya with Split Ticket. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, and Derrell Sadiq Davis. Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    47 min

  5. SEP 25 • EAR HUSTLE + ONLY

    EH+ “Thick Glass” Reflections

    Earlonne catches up with Derrick Holloway, who, in the Ear Hustle Season 2 episode "Thick Glass," talked about being incarcerated with his son at San Quentin. They discuss what’s been going on since his release, and where Little Derrick is now.Mentioned in this episode KALW episode: "Prodigal Son"The San Quentin Prison Report: A Nephew’s ForgivenessThe Brownsville Boxing Academy GEO Reentry ServicesIs there someone from a past Ear Hustle episode you’d like an update on? Email us at info@earhustlesq.com. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    42 min
  6. A Little Streets, a Little Romance, a Little Deception

    SEP 18

    A Little Streets, a Little Romance, a Little Deception

    Wali was on his way to make a life-altering decision when a book made him reconsider. Shaka’s 40 years on death row were shaped by three books picked out for him by a prison librarian. At three California prisons, books and libraries are thriving. Thank you to everyone who talked to us about books for this episode, including: Lanika, Wendy, Tameka, Latoya, Erica, Amy Lynn, Elizabeth, Mariam, Rosa, Mei, Lori Ann, Charity, Jasmine, Kaieesha, Diamond, Elisa, Debanee, Kaylee, Tina, and Cleo at the Central California Women’s Facility; Chelsea and Lawanica at the California Institution for Women; Tommy at the Crossroads Juvenile Center; and Shaka, Wali, Jamie, Carrington, Tommie, Raul, Ammen, Cristian, Kevin, and Henok at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, as well as Lee, for reading all of our book excerpts!   Thanks also to all of the librarians who called in to tell us about the most popular books at their institutions: Jenny Rogers, Melody Kinnamon, Victoria Van Hyning, Deb Kyle, Renee Welsh, Kristi Kenney, Talibah Chikwendu, Chelsea Jordan-Makely, Claudia, Maty Cropley, Ali, and Charlotte Sanders.   This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, and Earlonne Woods.  Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    53 min

  7. SEP 11 • EAR HUSTLE + ONLY

    EH+ Ask Nigel and Earlonne Anything

    Back from summer break, Earlonne and Nigel return to answering questions for Ear Hustle Plus subscribers. They talk with EH Executive Producer Bruce Wallace about the hardest parts of their jobs, taking Ear Hustle back on tour, and roller skating when you’re over 50, among other things.Got a burning question for Nigel and Earlonne or the Ear Hustle team? Apple EH+ subscribers: email them to ama@earhustlesq.com; Supercast subscribers: add them to earhustle.supercast.com/ama. We just might answer your question in our next AMA episode! Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.  Things mentioned in the episode:The Griffin BrothersPanther Skate PlazaThe PreacherCatch a Kite NationwideDrama ClubEar Hustle Live! Tour

    47 min
  8. Comfortable Inside

    SEP 4

    Comfortable Inside

    It can be hard to admit, but some people are more comfortable inside prison than out. We meet people who keep coming back and people who’ve stopped trying to go home, and ask: Is being “OK” inside prison a failure? Or just healthy adaptation? Thank you to Reese and Jody at the Central California Women’s Facility, and Vincent, Steve, Cowboy, Kelton, Arendt, Patrick, Robert, and everyone else we spoke to out on the yard at San Quentin for this story.   This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan “Banks” Williams, and Earlonne Woods. Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    48 min
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Trailers

Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
20,048 Ratings

About

Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, and that’s what listening to the show feels like: a raw, often funny, and always surprising peek into the reality of life inside prison.  Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show that launched in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, where Nigel was a volunteer teaching photography. Since Earlonne’s release in 2018, the show has expanded to include stories from prisons across the state, including the California Institution for Women, as well as stories about getting out of prison and starting over, post-incarceration. From finding romance, to grappling with a life sentence, to trying to parent via 15-minute phone calls, Ear Hustle stories deliver what This American Life host Ira Glass calls a “"very real” and “untragic” take on prison life.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent listener-supported podcasts. Discover audio with vision at radiotopia.fm and learn more about Ear Hustle at earhustlesq.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    159
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Ear Hustle
  • Provider
    PRX

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