Ear Hustle

Home for Me Is Really a Memory

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 <a href="https://sites.prh.com/thisisearhustle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thisisearhustlebook.com</a>. 
Ear Hustle is a proud member of <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits, sign up for our newsletter, and shop for merch at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">earhustlesq.com</a>.
It’s the Radiotopia Spring Fundraiser! Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. Please donate today, at <a href="https://on.prx.org/3wl9pWn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">radiotopia.fm</a>.

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.