Podcast: Ear Hustle

San Quentin's death row has been cleared out; soon it'll be renovated into an honor dorm. We make one last visit with four men who, between them, spent over 130 years on the row. We see the solitary cells where they spent decades of their lives, and hear what it's been like to leave those cells and join the "mainline" prison population.

This episode was scored with music by Antwan "Banks" Williams, David Jassy, Earlonne Woods, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Lee Jaspar, and Fernando Arruda.

Big thanks to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Strayhorn at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women's Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

For some, it’s a weeklong bonanza; others keep it on the down-low. Whether you’re in prison or not, how you celebrate your birthday says a lot about who you are.

The New Official Ear Hustle Birthday Song was written by Tam Nguyen, with variations on the theme by Tam Nguyen, Earlonne Woods, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Antwan Williams, plus trumpet playing by Brian Conroy.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Spark Plug wanted a life straight out of a Hollywood movie: Live fast and die a legend. But that’s not quite how things worked out.

This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

The Ear Hustle team has been hard at work on a whole batch of new stories from San Quentin, the California Institution for Women, the Central California Women’s Facility, and beyond. They’ll be in your feed starting next Wednesday, March 5 — but Nigel and Earlonne are here now with a little sneak peek.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Next up in our “sleeper hits” series, our editor Amy listens back to “Camp Grace,” a 2021 episode that she had started producing until she was sidelined by COVID. In it, we follow a group of kids to Salinas Valley State Prison to spend two days with their dads, whom they hadn’t seen in years. Through music, crafts, and games, the idea behind Camp Grace is to put aside prison personas and reconnect with fatherhood. But relationships strained by incarceration can be hard to fix.

Big thanks to the team at The Place 4 Grace: Karen, Jenny, Candace, Sandra, and Maria.

We also want to thank campers Alex, Geneva, Andrew, Angel, Gigi, Eli, and Christian, and their dads, Jose, Peter, Frankie, Gilbert, Gabriel, and Ramon, as well as Angelica and Theresa, for talking with us. Thanks also to Alma, Jen, Adriana, Officer Muros, Officer Guevara, and Warden Atchley at Salinas Valley State Prison.

This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams and Rhashiyd Zinnamon.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

California relies on incarcerated firefighters to fight fires like the ones that have engulfed Southern California this month. But once these men and women are released from prison, they can have a hard time finding jobs on civilian firefighting crews. Back in 2020, Nigel and Earlonne spent time at a Ventura fire camp designed to help bridge that gap. In light of the recent fires, we’re sharing this episode again.

Thanks to Bay Salmeron, Andrew Morales, Levi Rosier, Barrett Brown, and Eric Kesselmark for sharing their stories. Thanks also to Michelle Garcia, Jeremy Brandt, and Michael Salas at the Ventura Training Center.

You can donate to Anti-Recidivism Coalition’s fund for incarcerated firefighters here, and listen to the Fire Escape podcast here.

This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams and David Jassy.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

In the next installment in our “sleeper hits” series, Earlonne listens back to the episode “August 21, 1971,” about George Jackson and one of the most significant days in San Quentin’s history. E talks about why this was an essential story for Ear Hustle to tell, why it was a tricky one to tackle, and reflects on his personal connections to this history and its long aftermath.

Mentioned in the episode:

Episode 61: August 21, 1971
Day of the Gun documentary from Bay Area news station KRON4
Freedom Archives’ 99 Books project
Ear Hustle interview with Angela Davis

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Linda’s mom brought her to a Catholic Mass because she had a sense her daughter was on the verge of something, and needed help. Thirty-seven years into her prison sentence, Linda wonders what would have happened if she had listened to her mom, and Nigel and Earlonne visit the same chapel to see the place through Linda’s memory.

This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, David Jassy, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Need some Ear Hustle merch? Check out the new items at earhustlesq.com/shop.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Ear Hustle. Thank you! on.prx.org/3s6RrL5

Leisha didn't plan on getting pregnant. And she certainly didn't plan on giving birth in prison. But on the day those two red lines showed up, Leisha found kindness in an unexpected place.

Thanks to Katie Turner and Samantha Bhatia at Poetic Justice for connecting us with Leisha.

This episode was scored with music by Darrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, David Jassy, and Earlonne Woods.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Ear Hustle. Thank you! on.prx.org/3s6RrL5

Earlonne's here with his "mystery" episode, and it's a doozy. He tells Nigel a redemption story wrapped in a drug-trafficking story, and, along the way, dives deep into several subjects we swore we'd never touch. Buckle up.

Thanks to George for telling his story. He co-authored a book about moving past gangs and criminal thinking; you can find that here. Thanks also to Tanaya for the rap and listener alert, and to everyone else we talked to for this story.

This episode was scored with music by Darrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, David Jassy, and Earlonne Woods.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support Ear Hustle. Thank you! on.prx.org/3s6RrL5

Over the past two episodes we’ve been hearing about “memory places” at San Quentin: ordinary-seeming spots that become extraordinary through the eyes of people who spent time there. In this extra mini-ep, Nigel and Earlonne take us to their spots, and down Ear Hustle memory lane.

This episode was scored with music by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

In the second part of this two-part series, Nigel reveals to Earlonne the final stops in her memory-tour of San Quentin, culminating in an exploration of the prison’s former death row.

Thanks to Shaka for speaking with us for this episode.

Special thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry for letting Nigel and our inside team explore and record inside East Block.

This episode was scored with music by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Nigel — with help from our team inside San Quentin — has been cooking up an episode that her co-host knows nothing about. Without giving too much away, we can tell you that it involves visiting a part of the prison no one on Ear Hustle had seen before … with, of course, a few detours along the way. Part 1 of a two-part series.

Special thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry for letting Nigel and our inside team explore and record inside East Block, and to Rabbi Paul Shleffar for hosting us inside the chapel.

This episode was scored with music by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.

Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Incarcerated people in California can’t vote, but that doesn't mean they aren’t tracking electoral politics as closely as many of us on the outside are. In this episode, Ear Hustle’s inside team reveals the winner of its San Quentin presidential poll, while the outside team travels to the Central California Women’s Facility to see how people there would vote, if they had the opportunity.   You can find information about registering to vote here. Thanks to everyone who spoke to us for this episode, including: Juan, Jerry, Oola, David, Lee, Wesley, Mario, Jose, Shawn, Raymond, Jessie, Cristian, Luis, Cesar, Tomas, Adam, Daniel, Michael Tulo, Bostyon, Greg, Cory, Hardeep, Matthew, and Katy at San Quentin; Lanika, Wendy, Tameka, Latoya, Erica, Amy Lynn, Elizabeth, Mariam, Rosa, Mei, Lori Ann, Charity, Jasmine, Kaieesha, Diamond, Elisa, Debanee, Kaylee, Tina, and Cleo at the Central California Women’s Facility; and Lakshya with Split Ticket.This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Wali was on his way to make a life-altering decision when a book made him reconsider. Shaka’s 40 years on death row were shaped by three books picked out for him by a prison librarian. At three California prisons, books and libraries are thriving.Thank you to everyone who talked to us about books for this episode, including: Lanika, Wendy, Tameka, Latoya, Erica, Amy Lynn, Elizabeth, Mariam, Rosa, Mei, Lori Ann, Charity, Jasmine, Kaieesha, Diamond, Elisa, Debanee, Kaylee, Tina, and Cleo at the Central California Women’s Facility; Chelsea and Lawanica at the California Institution for Women; Tommy at the Crossroads Juvenile Center; and Shaka, Wali, Jamie, Carrington, Tommie, Raul, Ammen, Cristian, Kevin, and Henok at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, as well as Lee, for reading all of our book excerpts!  Thanks also to all of the librarians who called in to tell us about the most popular books at their institutions: Jenny Rogers, Melody Kinnamon, Victoria Van Hyning, Deb Kyle, Renee Welsh, Kristi Kenney, Talibah Chikwendu, Chelsea Jordan-Makely, Claudia, Maty Cropley, Ali, and Charlotte Sanders.  This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, and Earlonne Woods. Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

It can be hard to admit, but some people are more comfortable inside prison than out. We meet people who keep coming back and people who’ve stopped trying to go home, and ask: Is being “OK” inside prison a failure? Or just healthy adaptation?Thank you to Reese and Jody at the Central California Women’s Facility, and Vincent, Steve, Cowboy, Kelton, Arendt, Patrick, Robert, and everyone else we spoke to out on the yard at San Quentin for this story.  This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan “Banks” Williams, and Earlonne Woods.Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

The countdown is on! Earlonne and Nigel give listeners a taste of what’s in store this season: some controversy, some mystery, and (maybe) some laughter. The new season starts September 4. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Our team inside San Quentin explores the complicated acts of crying and Hula dancing in prison, reports on the joys and sorrows of a new prison clothing policy, pilots a new podcast, and sits down in a gazebo with a surprise guest. It’s a new issue of San Quentin: The Magazine. You can find the first issue of San Quentin: The Magazine here. This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan “Banks” Williams, David Jassy, Steve Yen, and Fernando Arruda. Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

Celebrating our 100th episode last year got the Ear Hustle team thinking about all the stories we’ve told since 2017. Over the next few months, EHers will talk about and listen to some of their favorite episodes from the archives — ones that they feel warrant another look. In this one, Nigel and Bruce revisit “This Place,” originally released in October 2018. The episode explores different ways of looking at San Quentin.  Thanks to George “Mesro” Coles-El, Richard Richardson aka Bonaru, John Robb, Norman Willhoite, Gregg Sayers, Lee Jasper, Lt. Sam Robinson, and Warden Clinton T. Duffy for sharing their stories.This episode was scored with music by David Jassy and Antwan Williams.You can find out more about the San Quentin Archive project on Nigel’s website, and information about Nigel’s show in Milwaukee through the Milwaukee Art Museum. Plus, learn more about Warden Clinton T. Duffy and check out his book. And, check out the San Quentin News, who work in the media lab with us.Big thanks to Acting Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and Acting Warden Williams, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women, for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

In this collaboration with the venerable live-storytelling project The Moth, we share one man’s story about using a medical condition to break the isolation of his life in prison, and Earlonne and Nigel catch up with the storyteller to find out what’s happened in his life since getting out. Plus, an expert’s guide to telling a great Moth story. This is the second of our two-part collaboration with The Moth. You can listen to part one at moth.org/podcast or by searching for The Moth on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Thanks to Michael Fischer and Edgar Ruiz, Jr. for talking to us for this episode. And thanks to Marc Sollinger, Sarah Austin Jenness, Sarah Jane Johnson, and Brandon Grant-Walker at The Moth for working with us on this collaboration. Go listen to more Moth stories! https://themoth.org/Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.