SHAPIRO: Well, yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne Woods' sentence. Toni Storm is well-known in the wres. Why didn't you invite me (laughter)? POOR: So one of the things is that I really believe that people change. I was just done. Earlonne still co-hosts the show alongside Nigel. Did you give him a hug? Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor started the podcast Ear Hustle when Woods was a prisoner in San Quentin. Earlonne Woods Wife Earlonne resides in the United States. GROSS: Who - give us an example of somebody who you spoke to who had been a victim of a crime similar to the one that you committed that made you feel this, you know, sense of feeling bad for what you'd done. So how do you keep going? Earlonne Woods is co-creator, co-producer and co-host of Ear Hustle from Radiotopia. POOR: OK. I probably was like 14. HuffPost visited Woods at San Quentin earlier this year to discuss why he created the podcast. . And, you know, we was clowning on the phone. It was so kick-back and cool, meaning I take advantage of all these moments now. And, like a lot of inmates, he's been thinking about this moment for a long time. It was a private wedding ceremony, according to accounts. E WOODS: Right. [11], In November 2018, then California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Woods' sentence, saying he had "clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed this crime" and that "he has set a positive example for his peers and, through his podcast, has shared meaningful stories from those inside prison. You start really understanding what the word community means and what your participation in community is about, you know? He received a sentence of 31-years-to-life. That stuff carries 17 years. Earlonne still co-hosts the show alongside Nigel. I'm not doing that. So I still had a 17-year-old mentality. GROSS: Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor are the co-creators, co-producers and co-hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle, which features interviews with men incarcerated in San Quentin. Earlonne holds an American nationality and white ethnicity. GROSS: And Nigel, just as a person who's constantly interacting with inmates at San Quentin, do you want to know what they're incarcerated for, what crime they were convicted of? And that's the only way of life that you're accustomed to 'cause that's all you see. "[16] Quah contrasts standard prison narratives told entirely from an outsider's point of view with the interplay of insider and outsider perspectives provided by the hosts of Ear Hustle, with stories primarily told through Woods' and Williams' words and perspectives, and Poor in an active role adding "key narrative housekeeping". Kristi Tjaden. He became affiliated with a local Crips gang in high school, and began selling marijuana at 14, and later sold cocaine. And Nigel is also a professor of photography at California State University. So sometimes it's important, and I can give you an example. And so (laughter) it was just incredible. So what - what were the first communications like in which you tried to see, but is he a good interviewer? [5], Prior to Ear Hustle, Poor ran a photography class at the prison during which one of her students proposed making a documentary. I'm fine working with him now. (SOUNDBITE OF NOEL BONNEVIE'S "DAHIL SA'YO"). Is he a good co-host? Then she started doing interviews, and then they started working together co-producing a radio show and then the podcast. The responding officers shot him five times, killed him. E WOODS: Well, me growing up the way I grew up, I grew up in a lifestyle where I was young when I got into selling drugs, and I was - I was real young. I think I was probably like eight years old when it came to me that one day I have to die. SHAPIRO: Earlonne Woods is 47. His first book, OG Told Me, is a memoir-style collection of essays about Harshaw's. He likes to keep his personal life private hence Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his marital status. It was like 2 in the morning. And the assumption is that what you did at that moment is what you are today even though it's five years, 10 years, 20, 30 years later. You start attending different self-help groups. Jerry Brown", "The story of "Ear Hustle", a podcast made by prisoners at San Quentin", "Ladies and Gentlemen: Your Podquest Semifinalists", "Prison-produced podcast 'Ear Hustle' lets you listen to real stories of incarcerated life", "San Quentin's Breakthrough Prison Newsroom", "After parole, podcast producers are turning skills learned in prison into paying gigs", "This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life", "Why the podcast revolution is here to stay", "Ear Hustle Is an Utterly Fascinating Look at Prison Life", "Announcing the Winners of the 2019 Discover Pods Awards", "Announcing the winners of the 2020 Discover Pods Awards", "2019 iHeartradio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners", "With eyes on the inside, 'Ear Hustle' makes the big time with its look at prisoners", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ear_Hustle&oldid=1134158700, "Ear Hustle Extra: Antwan Williams, Journeyist", "Ear Hustle Extra: In It for the Long Haul", "Ear Hustle Extra: A Call From Sacramento", "Ear Ear Hustle Presents: My Mother Made Me", This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 07:55. E WOODS: I think - I was just tripping off - he was just peeling back one of the Beatles POOR: Oh, yeah. Woods never used the drug, though became addicted to the money and lifestyle selling it provided. So now we're - I mean, we're friends, and we're colleagues. And it's all that some of the people that you choose to associate with do, you know? GROSS: This is FRESH AIR, and if you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. She'll continue to do interviews inside San Quentin. And at the end of November, Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. GROSS: So this gets back to something you were just saying. And then I saw him in this awesome, orange T-shirt that had some brown in it. In 2020, alongside his Ear Hustle co-hosts, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. And you've said in the past that he was always the quietest person in the room, but you could tell he was a good observer. E WOODS: Right, right. So I gave him, you know, a handshake with as much emotion as I could muster POOR: Appropriately. Like, what - why were we on this path, you know? Woods' sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to tell stories of life. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor: This Is Ear Hustle Some might say that Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods were destined to meet. I pretty much raised Tyler from '95 to '97, when I got arrested. Look. You know, prison, I'm going to live to the best of my ability. Therefore, Earlonne has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. "Ear Hustle" the phrase is slang for eavesdropping is a collaboration between Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both prisoners at San Quentin, and Nigel Poor, a Bay Area visual artist who teaches photography classes at the prison. You know, they playing with guns or whatever have you. I think the scope of the number of people that could possibly listen to this, I'm just really nervous about that. [7] Woods relocated to Oakland, California after his release, and was hired full-time as a producer and co-host of Ear Hustle. "[8] In particular, she praised Williams' "evocative, pitch-perfect sound design". Trevor was wanted and was on the run. Who is Kourtney Kellar? The two established a rapport,[6] and Poor proposed the idea of creating a podcast to Woods, who had previously not known what a podcast was. (SOUNDBITE OF STEFANO BOLLANI AND JESPER BODILSEN AND MORTEN LUND AND MARK TURNER AND BILL FRISELL'S "ALOBAR E KUDRA"). I don't know if it's a lake. It looked so good on you. Earlonne Woods is an American podcaster and author, best known for co-hosting and co-founding the podcast Ear Hustle in 2017, and co-authoring the book This Is Ear Hustle in 2021. So this is JERRY BROWN: It all goes to this point that something very bad happens, and people will say, OK, now we're putting you in jail for a very long time. When Earlonne was incarcerated in San Quentin, he and Nigel Poor started the podcast Ear Hustle. He and Nigel are also the authors of This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life, a book that became inspired by the podcast and released by Crown/Random House. GROSS: To stay sane in a situation like that. And it was one of them, I guess could you say, moments where you just feel embarrassed about your previous conduct. Nigel first started going to San Quentin as a volunteer teaching photography. He and Nigel also co-wrote This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life, a book inspired by the podcast and published by Crown/Random House. Do you usually know what somebody is in for and do you ask, or is that considered wrong to ask? So it's been a real eye-opener for me. Once the details concerning Earlonne's marital status are available we shall update. They struck him 19 times, killing him. Before creating the podcast, Woods and Poor did interviews with inmates in San Quentin for public radio station KALW in San Francisco. In fact, when I walk through the yard, one of the things I really like is that people make eye contact. And then what worries me is, like, so people will leave with this very, like, I love this guy. I'd rather deal with anyone, actually, as they are in front of me at that moment. Earlonne was both host and inmate, but he was released in November after his sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. E WOODS: In between prison - when I got out - Tyler had just been born in '94. So I'm going to enjoy. And I - I observed Earlonne a lot. And just listening to her tell her story to us and knowing that I've been in these type of situations or knowing that I've been probably on the other side of the gun or whatever the case may be and just hearing her loss, hearing her heartfelt testimony about this was really - it was shakening (ph), you know? I've changed my life. Earlonne Woods: Number one. I mean, I guess I had a kind of low estimation of men and what they were like. Brown cited Woods'. We'll be right back. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. And I keep thinking, like, a week from now, Earlonne and I could be having dinner outside the prison together (laughter). While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. POOR: You get a lot of calls from guys at San E WOODS: I get a lot of 15-minute calls from prison. POOR: Well, I would like to see more programs created that allow people inside and outside to work together as colleagues. And E WOODS: And of course I enjoy all the little moments. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. GROSS: And you basically just described your own situation when you were incarcerated because you got 31 to life for attempted second-degree robbery. [6] While in San Quentin, Woods was unpaid for his work on Ear Hustle, though fans would often send him money. Presently, Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his parents. Los Angeles, CA. Nigel is a professor at California State University. [2], Woods first went to prison at 17 for two concurrent convictions of kidnapping and robbing a drug dealer, and was released at 23. GROSS: My guests are Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, the creators and hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle about life inside San Quentin Prison. What was your reaction when you found out? I don't know. But of course when someone's in prison and the other person's not, there's so many things you can't do. It was transformational symposiums. You're sitting across from politicians. I was on some - I would like to say other words, but I'm holding my (laughter) E WOODS: (Laughter) I'm on the radio. Earlonne Woods, co-host of the popular prison podcast Ear Hustle, had his sentence commuted by California Gov. (SOUNDBITE OF JOHN COLTRANE'S "OUT OF THIS WORLD"). E WOODS: Well, I think - so I'll say this. So what - one of the things that I've really taken away from being in prison is that I've gotten an incredible glimpse into what it means to be a man and what men deal with. And I got out in '95. And I think it would help demystify a lot of the assumptions that people have about who's in prison and who should be there. And so we just started talking, and I realized that he was interested in thinking about how we could do interviews from more of an artistic perspective and not as journalists. I had to really work through it and think about it. So they don't even have the opportunity to even go in front of the board to say, hey, look, for the last 21 years, I've changed, you know, because their board dates ain't till 2150, you know? [12] On October 19, 2021, co-hosts Poor and Woods released a book on the podcast, This Is Ear Hustle. We know because they did a whole episode on getting parole. E WOODS: He got a hell of a collection of vinyl. Then there are those marriages that become the subjects of books . I got out, stayed out two years, 10 months and found myself back in jail for attempted second-degree robbery. explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. His sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown in November. The victims of a crime are faceless. So you'll never get the opportunity to be in front of people to present the person that you are today. POOR: What are some of the things you think about when you fantasize about your life when you're out? And then Trevor was arrested when their son, Tyler, was 10. Like, I take you as the man you are in front of me. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. Therese Madden directed today's show. --. Since the podcasts launch in 2017, its been downloaded millions of times, featured in media outlets from NPR to The New York Times, and made several best of podcast rankings. POOR: Earlonne described himself, and I described myself. That was something that was volunteered to me. He has the age of 49. But yeah, I can't. And that was one of the things that I appreciated about Jerry Brown - especially everything he said in that clip that you played is the way people inside think. California Gov. WOODS: It's unrealistic, but I think about just getting out of San Quentin, jumping in the water and swimming to my yacht and going around the world. I told him that constantly. Part of HuffPost News. GROSS: Yeah. So I believe that crimes have sentencing under them. And I spend a lot of time in there. Its out of body, he said of getting the call from Browns office. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator with Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. My first prison term, I went to jail when I was 17. We don't really do stories about people's crimes at all. Vice President . And I'm playing this because it's about knowing where the line is when you're interviewing prisoners and sometimes to have to ask something that's going to make them uncomfortable. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. He had served 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. But that was a case that challenged my desire to not know and to - how to deal with the knowing once it's been presented to you. GROSS: Earlonne, what's the custom among men in San Quentin? So you're interviewing a prisoner who - he and one of the volunteers fell in love, and so she stopped working there in any capacity, and they got married. GROSS: Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, my guest will be writer Sigrid Nunez.