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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:

The Trail Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

In 1990, Leonard attacked a female hiker off a trail along the California coast. Three decades later, we hear the rest of the story, and explore what accountability and survival really look like.

Warning: This episode contains a graphic description of a sex crime. Some listeners may want to skip this one.

If you or someone you know have been affected by sexual assault, you can get help by calling the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 800.656.HOPE.

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

Crew No. 7 Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Incarcerated people have long played an important role in firefighting in California. Now, in the middle of the state’s worst fire season on record, formerly incarcerated people are poised to play more of a role. We visit with a group of men just out of prison who are training to become professional firefighters.

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

Get some Ear Hustle masks, shirts, and other merch, now in time for the holidays. 25% of all proceeds go to Mount Tamalpais College (formerly the Prison University Project). Check out our store at earhustlesq.com/shop

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

On Stage in Chicago Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

Back before the pandemic, Nigel and Earlonne joined Jenn White (WAMU’s 1A, formerly WBEZ) on stage in Chicago for a conversation about how Ear Hustle came to be and some of the show’s most memorable moments.

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

Are You Listening? Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Incarceration doesn’t just separate a parent from his or her child, it changes that relationship forever, often leaving wounds that may never heal. We talk with kids who have incarcerated parents, as well as a formerly incarcerated mom of four, and hear why sometimes acceptance is the only way forward.

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The Great Ear Hustle Cook Off Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

For our first-annual Ear Hustle Cook Off, four formerly-incarcerated people replicate meals they used to make inside their cells, using only the tools and ingredients they would have had access to in prison.

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

The Christmas Boxes Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Six cubic feet. That’s how much stuff each incarcerated person in California is allowed to have in his or her cell. The few personal objects you keep with you in prison are precious. But what’s left behind can be just as meaningful, as relics of a former life.

Now available on our website: Ear Hustle face masks! Bonus: 100% of profits from merch sales through September 30th will go to the Prison University Project.

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

The Gray Goose Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

Being incarcerated doesn’t always mean staying in one place. Ear Hustle kicks off Season Six with stories from inside the vans and buses that carry people to and between prisons.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

The National Suicide Prevention Line can be reached at 800-273-8255.

Aly Tamboura, who appears in this episode, now works for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which financially supports the production of Ear Hustle.

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

Ear Hustle Extra: Summer Listening Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

Ear Hustle will be back with new episodes starting September 9. In the meantime, we talk with people experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin and other California prisons, firsthand. Plus, we’re not the only podcast sharing stories and highlighting voices from prison and post-incarceration. Here are a few other shows to check out over the summer:

The Secret Life of Prisons, from the Prison Radio Association in the UK

Featured in this episode: “The Arrival”

Birds Eye View, made by women in the Darwin Correctional Centre in Australia

Featured in this episode: “Making HERstory”

Uncuffed, produced by men incarcerated at Solano and San Quentin state prisons in California for KALW

Featured in this episode: “Sky Boii” and “Maserati-E”

More songs by Remus Sam Langi at the bottom of the page here

Life on the Outside, produced by Lucy Copp

Featured in this episode: “Mother California”

Snap Judgment’s story “The Officer”

Voices of San Quentin on Instagram @VoicesofSanQuentin

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, and a list of more shows about life inside and post-incarceration, at earhustlesq.com.

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

Nobody Comes Back Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Getting out of prison means freedom, but this liberation often comes with caveats. In our final episode of the season, three formerly incarcerated people describe the unwelcome surprises that were waiting for them on the other side of the gates. Plus, Ear Hustlers respond to the murder of George Floyd and recent protests.

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits 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.

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

Tired of Running May 27, 2020

Show notes

Hollywood loves stories about fugitives on the run, but in reality that lifestyle is anything but glamorous, especially for those who get pulled in along the way. One woman reflects back on six years spent on the lam in Mexico, after her husband was charged with murder and their family fled south.

We’re nearing the end of our first-ever spring fundraiser, and we need your help. If you can spare a little to support the show, go to earhustlesq.com/donate. Thank you!

Thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits 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.

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

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