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Are You Listening?

Incarceration doesn’t just separate a parent from his or her child, it changes that relationship forever, often leaving wounds that may never heal. We talk with kids who have incarcerated parents, as

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The Great Ear Hustle Cook Off

For our first-annual Ear Hustle Cook Off, four people replicate meals they used to make inside their cells, using only the tools and ingredients they would have had access to in

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The Christmas Boxes

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 keep with you in prison are precious. But what’s left b

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The Gray Goose

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 people to and between prisons.Thanks to Lt. Sam Robi

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Ear Hustle Extra: Summer Listening

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 and other California prisons, firsthand. Plus, we

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Nobody Comes Back

Getting out of prison means freedom, but this liberation often comes with caveats. In our final episode of the season, three formerly incarcerated people describe the unwelcome surprises that were wai

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Tired of Running

Hollywood loves stories about fugitives on the run, but in reality that lifestyle is anything but glamorous, especially for those who get pulled in along the way. One woman reflects back on six years

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Catch a Kite 5

Every season we answer questions from listeners in our Catch a Kite episode. This time around, formerly incarcerated people lend their experiences and lessons learned to a group of kids currently inca

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Hold That Space

Four women share their stories of loving incarcerated men, and the challenges they face in maintaining their relationships, staying hopeful about an eventual reunion, and carrying on with their lives

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Sorry Means Nothing

One crime is treated differently than all others, both inside and outside prison. People who commit sex crimes against children are often ostracized, abused by fellow inmates, and deemed beyond rehabi

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Us and Them

The relationships between incarcerated people and the correctional officers who guard their prisons are often as bad as you might expect. But sometimes, they’re a lot more a full list

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Locked Down Again

As the Coronavirus pandemic locks down parts ofAmerica and the world, we revisit an episode from 2018 about how the San Quentin community manages a prison a San Quentin lockdown, the p

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Myths & Monikers

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 might just become the stuff of legend.A heads-up: This

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Ear Hustle Extra: In It for the Long Haul

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 truck driver about being a woman in a male-dominated pro

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A Message from Ear Hustle

Back in 2016, our podcast network, Radiotopia, made the Ear Hustle dream a reality. In honor of Radiotopia’s annual fundraiser, Nigel and Earlonne dream a little about what other podcasts they might m

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Ear Hustle Extra: Antwan Williams, Journeyist

Surprise! In this season four bonus episode, Earlonne sits down with Ear Hustle co-founder and sound design contributor, Antwan “Banks” Williams, who was recently released from San Quentin after servi

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Tell Christy I Love Her

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 finale, Tom and Jason relate the story of that night, a

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Chicken on the Bone

Historically, death sentences in California have led to eventual execution by the state. But these days, public opinion and state protocol are in flux, and the future is uncertain for those on death r

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Catch a Kite 4

Sleep, soundtracks and signing in prison — the Ear Hustle crew tackles questions from listeners about these topics and more, in this season’s “Catch a Kite” episode. Plus, we’ll share some of our favo

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Life Shows Up

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 how their time inside both helped prep them for j

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Snack Money

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 and often supplement their income with a side hust

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Inside Music

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 for this episode, and shared their songs. Find a full l

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I Want the Fairy Tale

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 interests?And how the hell does online dating work? Recent

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Kissing the Concrete

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 up on the outside and how you handle the regular pressu

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Respect the Paper

Hardly anyone writes letters anymore. On the streets it’s all texting, posting, sharing and liking. But in prison, pens, paper, envelopes and stamps are highly prized, and still considered an essentia

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Excuse Me on the Tier

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 ropes in Reception, while they wait to find out wher

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Season four preview

Ear Hustle is back with season four, starting June 5. Mark your calendars and tell your friends!

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Road Trip

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 drive south to interview the man who commuted Earlonne’

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P.S. Asking and Giving

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 musical offering from the inside.What a season! Deep

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Bittersweet

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’s family struggles with having missed out on too many.

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Big News: It's Time

Earlonne and Nigel got some big news earlier this week, from the office of California Governor Jerry Brown.Stay tuned for more information about what’s next for Earlonne, and Ear Hustle, in our next e

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Prime Real Estate

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 keep with you in prison are precious. But what’s left b3