Ear Hustle
Listen at earhustlesq.com
Ear Hustle brings you the daily realities of life inside prison, shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration. The podcast is a partnership between Nigel Poor, a Bay Area visual artist, and Earlonne Woods, formerly incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and was co-founded with San Quentin resident Antwan Williams. The Ear Hustle team works in the San Francisco Bay Area, both in San Quentin State Prison’s media lab and from offices on the outside, to produce stories that are sometimes difficult, often funny and always honest. Episodes offer a nuanced view of people involved with the American prison system and those reintegrating into society after serving time.
listen to the trailer
Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life for attempted second degree robbery. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College and completed many vocational trade programs. In November 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne’s sentence after 21 years of incarceration. Upon his release, Earlonne was hired by PRX as a full-time producer for Ear Hustle, and he continues to work with Nigel, contributing stories about re-entry.
Nigel Poor is a visual artist whose work explores the various ways people make a mark and leave behind evidence of their existence. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and can be found in various museum collections including the SFMOMA, the M.H. deYoung Museum, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. She is also a professor of photography at California State University, Sacramento. In 2011, Nigel got involved with San Quentin State Prison as a volunteer teacher for the Prison University Project.
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas has been incarcerated since 2000. While inside, he discovered a love of writing and became a contributor to The Marshall Project, Wall City Magazine and the San Quentin News, among other publications. New York is the chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists San Quentin satellite chapter, and, in 2015, he co-founded Prison Renaissance. When he’s not ear hustling, he works with Initiate Justice and the Ella Baker Center on social justice issues. New York also counsels youth that visit the prison through the San Quentin SQUIRES program.
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