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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:

Shine Some Light Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

When she was in her 20s, Shanna was the victim of a violent attack. Ten years later, she’s ready to talk about the experience and the “full-time job” of recovery.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.

Can’t get enough Ear Hustle? Sign up for Ear Hustle Plus, our new subscription service. You’ll get ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, access to live chats with Ear Hustle and other listeners about the show, and more! earhustlesq.com/plus

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com. Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Ear Hustle. Thank you. https://on.prx.org/3s6RrL5

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

That World Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Nigel and Earlonne visit the largest women's prison in the world, the Central California Women's Facility, and speak to five people about building a life in a tough environment, and calling that place home.

Special thanks to Warden Anissa De La Cruz and Lt. Monique Williams for welcoming us to CCWF. Thanks also to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Ear Hustle. Thank you! https://on.prx.org/3s6RrL5

We’re going on the road! Check out our upcoming tour dates here.

Can’t get enough Ear Hustle? Sign up for Ear Hustle Plus, our new subscription service. You’ll get ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, access to live chats with Ear Hustle and other listeners about the show, and more!

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

Do You Think There Are Ghosts Here? Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

Can a prison be haunted? And why are good ghost stories — inside or outside of prison — so hard to come by? The Ear Hustle team goes ghost hunting at San Quentin and the California Institution for Women.

We’re going on the road! Check out our upcoming tour dates at earhustlesq.com/tour.

Can’t get enough Ear Hustle? Sign up for Ear Hustle Plus, our new subscription service. You'll get ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, access to live chats with Ear Hustle and other listeners about the show, and more! earhustlesq.com/plus

Big thanks to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women 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

San Quentin: The Magazine Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

If San Quentin were a magazine, what would it sound like? Ear Hustle’s new team inside – Sadiq, Steve, Tam, and the Two Tonys – delivers audio stories hot off the press, from the institution’s popcorn craze to its new tablets and those weird-looking gazebos out on the yard.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.

Thanks also to Katie Gilbert, Officer Wallis, and John Zeretzke at San Quentin.

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

Transitional Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Producer Rahsaan “New York” Thomas takes us inside the parole-ordered transitional housing he’s been living in since getting out of prison. For many people, these residences are a godsend. For others, they’re a frustrating limbo between prison and being truly free.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Smith and Lt. Berry at San Quentin State Prison and Acting Warden Hill and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women 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.

Find out how Isme has been doing since this episode originally aired, in the Ear Hustle Plus episode “Catching Up with Isme.” 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

Once You're in the Ocean, You're Going Everywhere Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Prisons weren’t designed for older folks, and the California Institution for Women is no exception. Nigel and Earlonne pay a visit to CIW’s Senior Center to hang out with a group of women aged 70 and up and hear their stories about aging inside.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women 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

12 Hours on the Yard Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Inspired by the classic This American Life episode “24 Hours at the Golden Apple,” the Ear Hustle team documents one day in the life of San Quentin’s lower yard, from Haka dancing to dominoes; gospel to geese; and weight-lifting to waiting to get out.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Oak Smith and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Acting Warden Molly Hill and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women 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: Violation Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

It’s summertime! Which means the Ear Hustle team is off cooking up a new batch of stories for our next season — Season 12 — launching September 6.

In the meantime, we’re bringing you an episode from one of our favorite new podcasts, Violation. The series revisits a 1986 murder case, in which 16-year-old Jacob Wideman — son of award-winning author John Edgar Wideman — fatally stabbed his summer camp roommate. Violation explores the parole process, examining who pulls the levers of power in our criminal system.

Violation is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR, and The Marshall Project.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

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

Ear Hustle Extra: Pride Month Special Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

In honor of Pride month, we’re serving up some of our best stories about the LGBTQ community inside prison, including: a love story set out on the yard at San Quentin State Prison; two trans women on their journey from a men’s prison to a women’s prison, thanks to a new California law; and the first-ever Pride parade held inside a Norwegian prison.

Big thanks to Warden Ron Broomfield and Lt. Guim'Mara Berry at San Quentin State Prison, and Warden Jennifer Core and Lt. William Newborg at the California Institution for Women 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

Articles of Hustle Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Is there such a thing as a prison uniform? Turns out, it takes two podcasts to answer that question. Nigel and Earlonne team up with Avery Trufelman from the Radiotopia pod Articles of Interest to find out why incarcerated people wear what they do, and how they make it their own.

Big thanks to Guim'Mara Berry and Acting Warden Oak Smith 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.

Time is running out to support our spring fundraiser! Donate today to help us explore more stories from beyond San Quentin: https://on.prx.org/EH.

Find out how Lonnie Morris has been doing since this episode originally aired, in the Ear Hustle Plus episode “Where’s Lonnie 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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