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.
https://www.earhustlesq.com/
episode 7: Bittersweet
In prison, life’s major milestones usually pass at a distance. In our season three finale, Earlonne gets up close to a big one, while his brother’s family struggles with having missed out on too many.
A heads-up: This episode contains discussion of suicidal thoughts. Listener discretion is advised. You can reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Thanks to Trevor Woods, Tyra Woodson and Lee Jaspar (aka Matthew Lee Jasper) for sharing their stories with us.
Ear Hustle is produced by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods with help from outside producer Pat Mesiti-Miller, who also comes in to lead the sound design team. This episode includes music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, E. Phil Phillips, Gregg Sayers, Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie and Lee Jaspar. And a big end-of-season thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Davis for their support of the show.
Thanks to Nectar for supporting this episode. And lastly — a standing ovation for you, our amazing listeners around the world who have shown so much support for Ear Hustle since day one. We’ll be taking some time to work out what comes next for the show, but rest assured we’ll be back in 2019 and can’t wait to share S4 and beyond with you!
Find out more about the show at earhustlesq.com, and get an Ear Hustle mug to go with your T-shirt. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.