Ear Hustle
Episodes
Home for Me Is Really a Memory
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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. Fo...
Cracked Windshield
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A year after George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer, the Ear Hustle team and friends talk about their first interactions with cops, t...
The Whole Shabang
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Toothpaste, ramen noodles, sneakers, coffee creamer. If you want to shop from prison, it’s either the commissary or a prison-approved package catalo...
Catch a Kite 6
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can you have an Xbox in your prison cell? Is it OK to say “inmate”? How have stimulus checks affected the prison economy? Ear Hustle listeners hav...
Lifer Bakery
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A small Israeli bakery in downtown San Francisco has offered first jobs to dozens of lifers just out of prison. Four employees share their stories of ...
Marcel and Angie
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marcel and Angie each spent years in prisons determined by the gender on their birth certificate, not the one they identify with. Being trans in priso...
Hot Trash
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Visiting a loved one in prison is both emotionally intense and constrained by countless rules – from how much PDA is too much PDA, to what kind of c...
Sugarbutt's a Snail
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A lot has happened since we got behind the mics to record Ear Hustle’s first season. As we begin our seventh, we catch up with three people whom lis...
Ear Hustle Presents: Suave
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While we work on our next season, launching March 3, we’re excited to introduce you to a new podcast series that we love, and think Ear Hustle fans ...
The Bells
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One in five incarcerated people in the U.S. has tested positive for COVID-19, and here in California, more than 100 people have died in prison. In our...
The Trail
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1990, Leonard attacked a female hiker off a trail along the California coast. Three decades later, we hear the rest of the story, and explore what ...
Crew No. 7
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Incarcerated people have long played an important role in firefighting in California. Now, in the middle of the state’s worst fire season on record,...
On Stage in Chicago
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Back before the pandemic, Nigel and Earlonne joined Jenn White (WAMU’s 1A, formerly WBEZ) on stage in Chicago for a conversation about how Ear Hustl...
Are You Listening?
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Incarceration doesn’t just separate a parent from his or her child, it changes that relationship forever, often leaving wounds that may never heal. ...
The Great Ear Hustle Cook Off
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For our first-annual Ear Hustle Cook Off, four formerly-incarcerated people replicate meals they used to make inside their cells, using only the tools...
The Christmas Boxes
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Six cubic feet. That’s how much stuff each incarcerated person in California is allowed to have in his or her cell. The few personal objects you kee...
The Gray Goose
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Being incarcerated doesn’t always mean staying in one place. Ear Hustle kicks off Season Six with stories from inside the vans and buses that carry ...
Ear Hustle Extra: Summer Listening
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle will be back with new episodes starting September 9. In the meantime, we talk with people experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin...
Nobody Comes Back
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Getting out of prison means freedom, but this liberation often comes with caveats. In our final episode of the season, three formerly incarcerated peo...
Tired of Running
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hollywood loves stories about fugitives on the run, but in reality that lifestyle is anything but glamorous, especially for those who get pulled in al...
Catch a Kite 5
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every season we answer questions from listeners in our Catch a Kite episode. This time around, formerly incarcerated people lend their experiences and...
Hold That Space
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Four women share their stories of loving incarcerated men, and the challenges they face in maintaining their relationships, staying hopeful about an e...
Sorry Means Nothing
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One crime is treated differently than all others, both inside and outside prison. People who commit sex crimes against children are often ostracized, ...
Us and Them
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The relationships between incarcerated people and the correctional officers who guard their prisons are often as bad as you might expect. But sometime...
Locked Down Again
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the Coronavirus pandemic locks down parts of America and the world, we revisit an episode from 2018 about how the San Quentin community manages a ...
Myths & Monikers
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In prison, almost everyone has a nickname, and whether true or not, nearly every nickname has a story behind it. If that story is good enough, it migh...
Ear Hustle Extra: In It for the Long Haul
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of the launch of “Over the Road,” Radiotopia’s new show about long-haul trucking, Earlonne and Nigel talk with a formerly incarcerated ...
A Message from Ear Hustle
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2016, our podcast network, Radiotopia, made the Ear Hustle dream a reality. In honor of Radiotopia’s annual fundraiser, Nigel and Earlonne d...
Ear Hustle Extra: Antwan Williams, Journeyist
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise! In this season four bonus episode, Earlonne sits down with Ear Hustle co-founder and sound design contributor, Antwan “Banks” Williams, ...
Tell Christy I Loved Her
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tom was a cop; Jason was a teenager in a gang. One night in 1997, they had a violent encounter that Tom describes as “inevitable.” In our season f...
Chicken on the Bone
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Historically, death sentences in California have led to eventual execution by the state. But these days, public opinion and state protocol are in flux...
Catch a Kite 4
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep, soundtracks and signing in prison — the Ear Hustle crew tackles questions from listeners about these topics and more, in this season’s “C...
Life Shows Up
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting a job after serving time is crucial to rebuilding your life, but a criminal record inevitably gets in the way. Four people share stories about...
Snack Money
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Running a prison takes a lot of work, and not just by the staff running the place. At San Quentin inmates work regular jobs, earn pennies on the hour ...
Inside Music
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I think we can all agree: It’s high time we devoted a full episode to the music of San Quentin. Thanks to all of the musicians who talked with us f...
I Want the Fairy Tale
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How does dating work in your 30s when you’ve been locked up since you were 15? How soon do you share your incarceration history with new love intere...
Kissing the Concrete
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Serving a prison sentence is hard, but getting out isn’t exactly a cakewalk, either. A lot depends on who’s waiting for you, what you have lined u...
Respect the Paper
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hardly anyone writes letters anymore. On the streets it’s all texting, posting, sharing and liking. But in prison, pens, paper, envelopes and stamps...
Excuse Me on the Tier
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle is back with season four! Let’s get oriented: to a new format and a new inside host, and through the stories of guys learning the prison ...
Season four preview
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle is back with season four, starting June 5. Mark your calendars and tell your friends! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Road Trip
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle will return with season four later this year, but in the meantime, here’s a timely bonus episode. Nigel and Earlonne hit the road and dri...
P.S. Asking and Giving
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As the annual Radiotopia fundraiser wraps up, we bring you one final missive of the year, including an appeal for support, a chance encounter and a mu...
Bittersweet
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
Big News: It's Time
24 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Earlonne and Nigel got some big news earlier this week, from the office of California Governor Jerry Brown. Stay tuned for more information about wha...
Prime Real Estate
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the additional hurdles involved, daters in prison fall into the same categories as daters on the outside: romantics, hopefuls and players. Th...
The Big No No
08 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re incarcerated, falling in love with prison staff or volunteers is prohibited. But… it happens. And it happened to Erin and Lisa, who th...
Catch a Kite 3
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A “kite” is prison slang for a written note, and since Ear Hustle launched we’ve encouraged listeners to send in their questions about daily lif...
This Place
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This time on Ear Hustle we’re trying something different: we’re diving into San Quentin’s 166-year history. Normally, we get the guys inside to ...
Future on Ice
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Being an immigrant in an American prison can pose unique challenges, like deciding which racial group you’ll identify with. But sometimes the bigges...
Birdbaths and a Lockbox
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
During a San Quentin lockdown, the prison grinds to a halt, and men are confined to their cells 24 hours a day. On the heels of a summer lockdown, we’...
Season three preview
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ready for more stories about life inside? We bet. Season three of Ear Hustle drops September 12. In the meantime, enjoy this taste of what’s to come...
So Long
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Leaving an organization or community often calls for an exit strategy – even in prison. In this final episode of season two, four men who are prepar...
Down Low
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Of the thousands of people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, no one is openly gay. No one. And only a few people are comfortable enough to tal...
The Row
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
San Quentin houses California’s only death row for male inmates. And though it’s technically not far from the media lab, access to this area of th...
Catch a Kite 2
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A “kite” is prison slang for a written note. Since Ear Hustle launched, we’ve encouraged listeners to send in their questions about the show and...
Thick Glass
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting is never easy, but from prison it's especially challenging. In this episode, incarcerated fathers share their stories of striving to be pres...
The Workaround
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Looking good and feeling good matters just as much on the inside, as on the outside. But in prison, you can't just walk to the barbershop, or stop by ...
Dirty Water
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sex trafficking crimes are hard to talk about. In this episode, Sara and LA share their individual experiences of being “in the life,” at the same...
Firsts
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
“Firsts” in prison can be especially memorable: the first time you meet your cellie, or leave the prison for medical treatment, or run your first ...
Season two preview
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle is back March 14th! To tide you over until then, here’s a taste of season two. Find out more about the show at earhustlesq.com, includin...
Ear Hustle Bonus: Songs From S1
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Music is an important part of Ear Hustle, and there are many talented musicians in the San Quentin community. Listeners responded so enthusiastically ...
Getting a Date
25 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
There are only a few ways to leave prison: serve your time, get out early on parole... or escape.Steve, Danny, Phillip and Ron are all trying to make ...
Gold Coats and OGs
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dealing with aging and death is never easy. But in prison, these issues are fraught with extra challenges, both emotional and physical. Meet two inmat...
Left Behind
27 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
“I’m a stupid idiot who stole some money.” Curtis Roberts was sentenced to 50 years to life, under the three strikes law, for committing three n...
Unwritten
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The color of your skin influences your life in prison, from sharing food to celebrating birthdays. Meet Andrew Sabatino (Drew Down) and Arthur Snowden...
The Boom Boom Room
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Being married in prison is common. Opportunities to get intimate with your spouse are not, and – like everything else inside – are governed by bot...
Catch a Kite
09 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
“Kite” is a common term in prison for a written note. Over the course of the season, listeners have been encouraged to send in their questions abo...
The SHU
26 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The hole, the box, solitary confinement. It doesn’t matter what you call it; doing time in the SHU (Security Housing Unit) means you are alone and s...
Looking Out
12 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The need to nurture and show love for another living being (or, in San Quentin parlance, “looking out”) is an essential human impulse. Away from y...
Misguided Loyalty
28 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Shakur Ross grew up in South Central Los Angles in the 1980’s. As a boy, he was seduced by what he saw as the “glamour” of gang life. Thir...
Cellies
14 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
At San Quentin State Prison, the typical cell measures approximately 4’ x 9’ and contains a bunk bed, toilet, sink, two men, and their six cubic f...
Meet Ear Hustle
25 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ear Hustle brings you stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it. The podcast is a partnership between Earlonne Woods and A...