Ear Hustle

12 Hours on the Yard

Inspired by the classic This American Life episode “<a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/172/24-hours-at-the-golden-apple" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">24 Hours at the Golden Apple</a>,” 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 <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Radiotopia</a>, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at <a href="https://www.earhustlesq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">earhustlesq.com</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.