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Ear Hustle — Documentary
Ear Hustle

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.

Latest Episodes:

Home for Me Is Really a Memory Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Leslie has served more time in prison than anyone we’ve ever interviewed on the show: over half a century, for a crime committed when she was 19. Four times, the parole board has deemed her fit for release. Each time, California’s governor denied it. What does it mean to live a meaningful life when nearly all of it is spent behind bars?

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

You can find out more about Nigel and Earlonne’s forthcoming book, This Is Ear Hustle, at thisisearhustlebook.com.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, sign up for our newsletter, and shop for merch at earhustlesq.com.

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.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Cracked Windshield May 26, 2021

Show notes

A year after George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer, the Ear Hustle team and friends talk about their first interactions with cops, the role of empathy, and whether those relationships can ever change.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, sign up for our newsletter, and shop for merch at earhustlesq.com.

Find out how Talib has been doing since this episode originally aired, in the Ear Hustle Plus episode “Where’s Talib Now?” To listen to all EH+ bonus content, sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

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The Whole Shabang May 12, 2021

Show notes

Toothpaste, ramen noodles, sneakers, coffee creamer. If you want to shop from prison, it’s either the commissary or a prison-approved package catalog. These packages offer a connection to the outside world, but sometimes they make the distance seem even greater.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, sign up for our newsletter, and shop for merch at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Catch a Kite 6 Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Can you have an Xbox in your prison cell? Is it OK to say “inmate”? How have stimulus checks affected the prison economy? Ear Hustle listeners have questions about life behind bars. Our team went to find answers. Catch a Kite is back!

You can find more information about Nigel’s forthcoming book, “The San Quentin Project,” here.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Lifer Bakery Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

A small Israeli bakery in downtown San Francisco has offered first jobs to dozens of lifers just out of prison. Four employees share their stories of adjusting to life on the outside while working at Frena Bakery.

As always, thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Marcel and Angie Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

Marcel and Angie each spent years in prisons determined by the gender on their birth certificate, not the one they identify with. Being trans in prison comes with complications — from where you live to personal safety — and a whole lot of prison politics.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hot Trash Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Visiting a loved one in prison is both emotionally intense and constrained by countless rules – from how much PDA is too much PDA, to what kind of candy you can eat inside. One year after California prison authorities suspended in-person visits due to COVID-19, we bring you stories from and about visiting rooms, and hear how families are adjusting to video “visits.”

As always, thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sugarbutt's a Snail Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

A lot has happened since we got behind the mics to record Ear Hustle’s first season. As we begin our seventh, we catch up with three people whom listeners first heard from inside San Quentin, and hear about the twists and turns their lives have taken since.

Rauch first appeared in the episode Looking Out.

Ronnie first appeared in the episode Kissing the Concrete.

Curtis first appeared in the episode Left Behind, and later in the episode I Want the Fairy Tale.

As always, thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ear Hustle Presents: Suave Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

While we work on our next season, launching March 3, we’re excited to introduce you to a new podcast series that we love, and think Ear Hustle fans will too. “Suave,” from Futuro Studios, tells the story of a man sentenced to life without parole when he was 17 years old, and his friendship with acclaimed journalist Maria Hinojosa.

You can find more information about “Suave” here.

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The Bells Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

One in five incarcerated people in the U.S. has tested positive for COVID-19, and here in California, more than 100 people have died in prison. In our final episode of Season 6, we hear three stories from the California outbreaks, and remember the lives of those in the San Quentin community lost to COVID-19.

As always, thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show. You can find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a listener-supported network of independent, artist-owned podcasts. To support Ear Hustle directly, go to earhustlesq.com/donate. Thanks so much, and wishing you happy holidays from the whole team.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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