You end thinking, like, here's this guy who's very self-actualized. Earlonnes net worth is estimated to be $657,586. Earlier this year, we introduced you to a man named Earlonne Woods who got some big news yesterday. Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor, welcome to FRESH AIR. --. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. POOR: Well, he wasn't necessarily a good talker because he was very quiet. [5] The show features interviews with inmates who share their stories and opinions on topics like cellmates, solitary confinement, race, morality, pets, religion, gangs, and family. POOR: And the other thing is we've always - we've tried to always keep this as equal as possible. He is now 47. I probably was like 14. [7] They recruited fellow inmates Antwan Williams as the show's sound designer,[8] and submitted their idea for a podcast to a contest hosted by Radiotopia. 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. Woods was serving a 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted 2nd degree robbery due to a three-strikes law before having his sentence commuted in 2018. I went in and ended up in a security housing unit a couple of times for lengthy stays and just continued my pretty much destructive behavior all the way out. Earlonne Woods is co-creator, co-producer and co-host of Ear Hustle from Radiotopia. You know, he running the streets. No. And my mindset, regardless of where I'm at, I'm going to live to the best of my ability. Even after Woods is out on parole in Oakland, California, Ear Hustle said that it will continue, with Poor telling more tales from those inside San Quentin and Woods talking about the journey to re-enter society after years behind bars. They're the co-hosts and co-producers of the podcast Ear Hustle, which features interviews with men incarcerated in San Quentin about their daily lives and their personal stories. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor: This Is Ear Hustle Some might say that Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods were destined to meet. The sound was recorded because he's the co-host and co-producer of the podcast Ear Hustle, which features interviews with San Quentin inmates talking about daily life there, things like living with a cellmate in a tiny cell, what it's like to be in solitary confinement, the heartbreak of being a parent separated from your child, how everything inside is separated by race and so on. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. And the thing that I noticed in particular about him was that whenever there was an issue going on - and, of course, inside prison, there's all kinds of issues - and if we would have to sit down to solve a problem, Earlonne was the one who would speak up, cut through all of the baloney and get to the point. Therefore, it is not known if Earlonne is single, dating, or married. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I know what's happening today and right now. Woods was convicted of attempted second-degree robbery but because of the three-strikes law was sentenced to 31 years to life, most of which was served in prisons other than San Quentin. - like, was with him pretty much every day. And he was always ready to help. I mean POOR: No, we're not allowed. And I think - I didn't - I didn't become accustomed to the lifestyle of working or having a job, you know? Like, I just walked away, you know? Once the details concerning Earlonnes marital status are available we shall update. This is what we work for because there comes a moment in every person in prison's life where the light switch go on. Redmond O'Neal is the son of American actor Ryan O'Neal and Farah Fawcett (an America. SHAPIRO: Well, yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne Woods' sentence. The podcast title, Ear Hustle, is prison slang for eavesdropping or being nosy. They say hello. So what - what were the first communications like in which you tried to see, but is he a good interviewer? GROSS: Yeah. His sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown in November. 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. SHAPIRO: Like in a restaurant, at your house, any POOR: Yes. In fact, when I walk through the yard, one of the things I really like is that people make eye contact. And as time went on, as years went on, I stuck to my guns. Earlonne still co-hosts the show alongside Nigel. When asked earlier this year what was the first thing he would do if he got out, Woods said, Take a bath. ARI. This is FRESH AIR. Earlonne has not yet revealed any information about his parents. GROSS: Nigel, when you first started volunteering in San Quentin, what were some of the things you had to deal with as a woman teaching in a prison of men? He is also involved in the Repeal California's Three Strike Coalition, which aims to end California . POOR: But I get to see his brother and catch him up on what you're doing. Here you guys are, poking and - poking and prodding. Instead of me representing it, Earlonne and I can represent it together. She started going to San Quentin to volunteer teaching photography. And when I was sitting in a county jail, you know, mentally, I pretty much divorced myself from that whole way of life in that moment, you know? Woods was unaware his two convictions as a juvenile counted as two 'strikes', which made his conviction at 25 count as his third under California's three strikes law. POOR: How do we tell stories and leave out that part? But very quickly, when we started talking about photography - I was teaching a history of photography class - that kind of melted away. So sometimes it's important, and I can give you an example. I'm not doing this. 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. So how do you keep going? He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three . And your brother is still in San Quentin. Earlonne Woods co-hosted the podcast Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. So it's been a real eye-opener for me. Trevor has done 14 years of a 36-year sentence. GROSS: And you chose Earlonne. And that's the only way of life that you're accustomed to 'cause that's all you see. I'm not doing that. GROSS: OK, so that was a little more than five years ago that Tyler was killed. 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. In April 1989, a drive-by shooting in San Francisco, CA, left at least 11 people injured, and 2 people dead. [1][2] Since his release, Woods has continued to co-host the podcast with Poor from outside prison, with Poor recording some parts in San Quentin with new co-host Rahsaan "New York" Thomas. So on December 7, 1994, I murdered my ex-girlfriend, the mother of my now-25-year-old daughter. Then she started doing interviews, and then they started working together co-producing a radio show and then the podcast. 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. And he said the thing that all women fear is that I raped women because I could. Earlonne became preoccupied with reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for people who had previously been incarcerated, as well as documenting his own experiences. TREVOR WOODS: You know, so Tyler was out there trying to grow up on his own, trying to be something that he didn't know nothing about. I'm pretty shy. Presently, Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his parents. You feel invincible in some ways. [3], Woods met artist and volunteer Nigel Poor, who was teaching photography at the film school. Trevor was wanted and was on the run. GROSS: So Tyler's father, your brother, is still in San Quentin during the final year that you were in San Quentin. And it has made me - it has made me care about men so much more. Ive been taking showers for like 20 years.. I used to sit there and ask God, "Like, why am I living if I have to die?" And I think at that age I was questioning God. Look. Earlonne Woods prefers to keep his personal life private, so he has not disclosed any information about his marital status. So I think what kept me sane is that I had the philosophy where, I am going to live to the best of my ability every day that I have left on this Earth no matter where I'm at. [3] According to The Economist, by this time Woods was one of the most famous incarcerated people in the US. (SOUNDBITE OF JOHN COLTRANE'S "OUT OF THIS WORLD"). POOR: So one of the things is that I really believe that people change. Ear Hustle was the first podcast to be created entirely inside a prison. Copyright 2018 NPR. 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? In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator with Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. And y'all having these intimate conversations about, you know, why you went down this path or what it was like being a survivor, what it was like being this. He gave up his brother name. [7] Co-creators Woods and Antwan Williams were inmates at San Quentin State Prison for the first three seasons of the show. And this time, they had something for me, which was the three-strike law. Ive been taking showers for like 20 years.. And, Nigel and Earlonne, I want to wish you good luck with the retooled version of Ear Hustle now that Earlonne is out. And I think that's a shared philosophy with everybody that's in prison - is that you have to just deal with what's going on today, you know, and just not let the pressures of prison just get to your core and crush you. "Ear Hustle" features stories from prison told by prisoners - their intimate, honest conversations about family visits, cellmates, solitary confinement - conversations like this one between Earlonne Woods and his co-host Nigel Poor, who's not an inmate. 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. Woods is expected to be released on parole in the coming days, after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. But I always go over to the fantasy game guys, and I'll just sit there for a minute and try to see if I even come close to understanding what's going on on that table. I was a clerk. And, like a lot of inmates, he's been thinking about this moment for a long time. And for most people - for most people inside, they just want the chance to represent the person that they are today, you know? But of course when someone's in prison and the other person's not, there's so many things you can't do. That, in a nutshell, is the juxtaposition that defines Ear Hustle. I think it's about probably 20 people from there that call me collect. So I was nervous at first to go in because, I mean, my head was full of all the images that, you know, of - from bad TV, bad movies, bad media about what prison was going to be like. I actually oddly enjoy being in there. Earlonne Woods: Number one. I don't think I have the vision to see it. 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? When I called my mother, she told me this, right? Earlonne Woods is a popular American podcaster. Earlonne is a brother to Shala Woods. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College and completed many vocational trade programs. Ear Hustle was selected from 1,537 submissions, securing the funding for a 10-episode first season. I have all the different people that I talk to as I work my way down to the media lab. I felt like in Earlonne I found a true professional colleague. [5][6], The show is produced by Earlonne Woods, Rahsaan "New York" Thomas, and Nigel Poor. But we knew that, you know, it's traditional for the governor to do these commutations right before Thanksgiving. [11], By September 2021, Ear Hustle episodes had been downloaded over 54 million times. They struck him 19 times, killing him. Earlonne was both co-host and inmate. How do we present this? GROSS: That's the sound of the San Quentin prison door slamming as my guest Earlonne Woods was released in late November after being incarcerated there for seven years. I realized that he had a really intense work ethic that matched my own and that we just really got along. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In November 2018, Woods' sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. But after you recorded that interview, you found out something about him and decided, like, you could not play that interview unless you asked him another question. And I'm always interested in people who kind of fade into the background a little bit because I suspect they could be the most interesting people in the room. [17], Last edited on 21 December 2022, at 04:36, "Host Of The Prison Podcast 'Ear Hustle' Reflects On His 27 Years Behind Bars", "After parole, podcast producers are turning skills learned in prison into paying gigs", "Prison-produced podcast 'Ear Hustle' lets you listen to real stories of incarcerated life", "The story of "Ear Hustle", a podcast made by prisoners at San Quentin", "Podcast on prison stories wins PRX backing", "California inmate Walter 'Earlonne' Woods takes unlikely path to freedom: A popular podcast called 'Ear Hustle', "With eyes on the inside, 'Ear Hustle' makes the big time with its look at prisoners", "Earlonne Woods, Co-Host Of 'Ear Hustle' Podcast, Gets Prison Sentence Commuted", "San Quentin's Breakthrough Prison Newsroom", "This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earlonne_Woods&oldid=1128635338, This page was last edited on 21 December 2022, at 04:36. POOR: OK. "[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". Earlonne was both host and inmate, but he was released in November after his sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. So I've technically only been free 20 years in my life, and, since I was 17, I've been free maybe three years all together. [4] Its first season began on June 14, 2017. POOR: You know, a kind of joy I never really experienced before - I mean, it's - you know, to be so happy for him and being in prison and not wanting to cry (laughter) - you know, trying to hold it together. Who is Kourtney Kellar? So me, personally, I would eradicate the three strikes law in California. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Ear Hustle is a non-fiction podcast about prison life and life after incarceration created by Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both formerly incarcerated, and Nigel Poor, an artist who volunteers at San Quentin State Prison. Now Earlonne will be doing interviews with people like him who are transitioning back into society. Or would you just as soon not know and just judge them based on what they present to you in their interactions with you? E WOODS: It's the bay. Earlonne Woods, co-host of the popular prison podcast Ear Hustle, had his sentence commuted by California Gov. Other officers got involved. Woods never used the drug, though became addicted to the money and lifestyle selling it provided. Copyright 2019 NPR. And I'm like - I'm telling my son, son, look. [12][13][14] Since his commutation, Woods has become involved in campaigns to repeal California's three strikes laws. Usually, you can't go back into a correctional facility on parole. And it's the way people would hope other people think that, hey, OK, I've done my time. So now we're - I mean, we're friends, and we're colleagues. E WOODS: Yeah, so that's cool. Woods was involved in an attempted robbery in 1997, when he was in his 20s. But I'd say a lot of people, particularly in law enforcement, want to look at the crime only, and that's really the big debate. WOODSON: They told me that my son was murdered - well, killed. 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. I've never felt scared or disrespected. Once you commit your crime, people think thats what it is, but individuals change. POOR: I'm so glad you asked about this. Shes holding on. And I want to play what he said to you. Earlonne was not only one of the co-hosts, he was one of the men incarcerated until his release in late November after California Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence. In November 2018, Woods' sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. He is a staff writer and podcast producer at KQED, as well as a graduate of UC Berkeley's School of Journalism. So we're going to strike you out this time. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . He says, I need to speak with you. And many people around me wasn't like that. POOR: I don't ask unless it comes up as part of the story. Earlonne is 5 feet 7 inches tall ( Approx1.7 m). "When. You know, they playing with guns or whatever have you. Poor's teaching work led her to a vast archive filled with photographs taken from life inside the prison that she began using in . GROSS: My guests are Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, the creators and hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle about life inside San Quentin Prison. [7] Woods relocated to Oakland, California after his release, and was hired full-time as a producer and co-host of Ear Hustle. And then, I always say that, you know, a lot of people that volunteer - people like Nigel Poor, people like other volunteers that volunteer inside of prisons - are on the frontline of public safety because these are the people that's coming in and is trying to show you a different way of life or trying to help you understand differently, think differently. POOR: Well, I would like to see more programs created that allow people inside and outside to work together as colleagues. In 1997, Woods was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. Earlonne Woods is the cocreator, coproducer, and cohost of the Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle. They ask how you are. POOR: What are some of the things you think about when you fantasize about your life when you're out? I mean, I guess I had a kind of low estimation of men and what they were like. But I just - just took a course that was - seemed cool to me at the time. He commuted my sentence to be released forthwith, immediately, right now, its time to go, time to walk out that gate, he added, laughing. As co-host of the 2019 Third Coast Awards Ceremony, Earlonne will make his return to the "Oscars of Radio." Last year, he beamed in via video ( watch here ) after winning a 2018 Best Documentary: Honorable Mention Award as part of the Ear Hustle team. So I believe that crimes have sentencing under them. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. E WOODS: Well, I mean, it's cool, you know? Nigel, I want to play an excerpt of an episode that you were very prominent in. It instead offers the even more illuminating dialogue of individual prisoners. Woods helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Like, you may have guys that are Hispanics or whites who, when they get to a certain prison, their race is like, let me see your paperwork. He's been behind bars for more than 20 years. [8][9] Poor is a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay area who volunteers at the prison. The podcast team announced Tuesday that it will hire Woods as an employee on the show. Let me see why you're here. POOR: We can taste each other's food 'cause, you know, in prison you can't share food with people. You know what I mean? POOR: Well, let me ask you this - do you feel like we're being unfair trying to make you do this? Why didn't you invite me (laughter)? Through his podcast, [Woods] has shared meaningful stories from those inside prison.. Therefore, it is not known if Earlonne is single, dating, or married. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . 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. He likes to keep his personal life private hence Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his marital status. He's able to call me collect. So I think that's very damaging. Earlonne continues to co-host the show with Nigel. And when I went to prison, it was pretty much the California Department of Corrections, and there was not a rehabilitation on the name then. Not one bit, you know? He is a podcast host correspondent. Tyler was sent to live with extended family. ERIN: Oh, [expletive]. You know, prison, I'm going to live to the best of my ability. In November 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne's sentence after 21 years of . It was a restorative justice group. E WOODS: So on November 19, Tyler and his auntie and some other lady went to 7-Eleven to get a pack of cigarettes. And so I want to play an excerpt of that. [5][15] In 2020, alongside Poor and co-host Rahsaan Thomas, Woods was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. E WOODS: Right, right. But you may have the African-Americans who go to prison and they're at certain places and you don't get that question. Thank you both so much for talking with us. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for people who were previously incarcerated, as well as documenting his own experiences. There's a man that I worked with for quite a while that I was very fond of. He does not, however, expose his wife's identity to the public. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. GROSS: And that was because - you got such a long sentence because one crime had you convicted on two counts, so that counted as two strikes. [8][9][16] Vulture's Nicholas Quah noted a particular story a prisoner told about a frog in episode three: "a moment of levity in a setting often described in the worst of terms, a productive kind of conversation between the specificities of a person and the overpowering context of his incarceration. Earlonne Woods (@earlonnewoods) Instagram photos and videos earlonnewoods Follow 225 posts 24.1K followers 931 following Earlonne Woods Public figure Award winning Co-Creator + Co-Host, @earhustlesq . Can people change? This is FRESH AIR. E WOODS: Well, I think - so I'll say this. And we used to do, like, healing circles. And then what worries me is, like, so people will leave with this very, like, I love this guy. 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. Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November after his sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. GROSS: So can I ask you an honest question? GROSS: I want to thank you both so much. He said Woods has clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed the crime. ALEX BLUMBERG: And so a friend of Earlonne's, a volunteer at the prison, had an idea: with this spotlight on his work, and having served now two decades of his 31-to-life sentence, Earlonne should put in for a commutation -- make an official appeal to the governor, to set him free. GROSS: That Tyler was killed while they were in prison. Should we recognize the change, or once you did the act, that's who you are - your essence, your identity - and never to be considered? Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence in November, and Woods regained his freedom after serving 21 years of his sentence. Does that mean we're self-absorbed? For Walter "Earlonne" Woods, the path to freedom was podcasting. And it's fine. And when you're in that moment, I think it's more of crime to people in society that commit crime. Earlonnes estimated net worth is $657,586. What was your reaction when you found out? It's about a writer whose friend and former mentor kills himself. GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the co-hosts and co-producers of the podcast Ear Hustle. GROSS: Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, my guest will be writer Sigrid Nunez. GROSS: Well, why don't we take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more? So I think as far as African-American culture in prison, I don't think nobody really cares why you're in prison. 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. Her latest novel "The Friend" won the National Book Award for fiction and is about to be published in paperback. And they open fired on him. "[6], Multiple reviewers noted how funny the show can be, despite often dealing with serious topics, and how uncommon it is to find humor in media taking place in real life prison settings. And I'm not even talking about physically intimate, but just emotionally intimate is against regulations. You may be a changed individual, all the way changed, would never commit another crime. When asked earlier this year what was the first thing he would do if he got out, Woods said, Take a bath. You know, he was - you know, I even - I'm talking to him all the time. You have to wear the same clothes all the time. Once the details concerning Earlonne's marital status are available we shall update. Namcy Wong. And as they questioned the driver, the passenger officer seen tattoos and Tyler's face and started questioning him, made him get out the car. [14] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Poor said the show is "about everyday life inside a prison. A post shared by @earhustlesq on Mar 13, 2018 at 8:35pm PDT. Jerry Brown. 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. And so when people listen to this story, that's what I want them to take away, that here's this person who is in a difficult situation. GROSS: We talk about the podcast and before we talk about your work together, Earlonne, I want to talk with you about life outside. In 2020, alongside his Ear Hustle co-hosts, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. (SOUNDBITE OF NOEL BONNEVIE'S "DAHIL SA'YO"). In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. 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. It addresses important issues about being human and how prisoners can be contributing citizens. An intimate view into the life and challenges of an asperger's spouse.It seems some marriages are so wonderfully stellar you have to look away or be blinded. But, as to being cool with it, it's what it is. GROSS: So you know, you're a middle-aged man now. After California Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence last month, Woods reflects on. His sentence was commuted yesterday. In 2020, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting the first time the . POOR: I know. And Jerry Brown was then the governor of California. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life in prison. So now we just have the opportunity to travel together, to do something like this together. (SOUNDBITE OF GOLDMUND'S "THE BALLAD OF BARBARA ALLEN"). So you become accustomed to that lifestyle. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted armed robbery. [16] In 2021, Woods and Poor co-authored the book This Is Ear Hustle. And I believe, personally, that that will ease overcrowding because there are a lot of people in prison that deserve to be out. So in that case, I didn't dig in. Redmond O'Neal is a voice actor, Hollywood celebrity, and Star Kid from the United States. Its out of body, he said of getting the call from Browns office. And I listen very carefully to how you talked about your relationship and how much you thought about it and how painful and joyous the whole experience was for you. And that's pretty much what I did. This lady - her name was Claire. And at one point, he revealed to me that he had raped quite a few women. [3] After two rounds of judging, Ear Hustle was selected as the winner and added to the Radiotopia network. So I'm trying to like - I'm trying to partner with you here. In March 2016, the Public Radio Exchange's Radiotopia network put out a call for new podcast ideas via an initiative called Podquest, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. On his release from San Quentin State Prison, Woods was hired full time to continue the work started inside but also adding reentry stories. And so I want to play the part where you return to ask him that difficult question. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall ( Approx1.7 m). And I got into this group. Those are my partners. It didn't work out, unfortunately. I get to see how they express love and tenderness and fear and frustration and how they posture and what's behind that. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . GROSS: And you basically just described your own situation when you were incarcerated because you got 31 to life for attempted second-degree robbery. Earlonne Woods was born in the United States in 1972. It focuses on both the personal and the political, shedding light on issues of mass incarceration and the criminal justice system by telling intimate, humanizing stories, like the tale of one inmates obsession with keeping small critters as pets in his cell or anothers struggle to be intimate with his wife while behind bars. So Earlonne, let me ask you about ways you think you've changed since you were a teenager and were first put in prison. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Nigel is a professor at California State University. I was just done. T WOODS: You know, he was ripping and running with the gangs. [13], The term "ear hustle" is prison slang for eavesdropping. GROSS: So something I found really interesting is that the group that is multicultural and not segregated by race or ethnicity is the group that's into, like - the nerds, the group that are into, like, sci-fi fantasy and stuff like that. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. And it just puts you in a whole different space, you know? And so I found out what you're in prison for. So it be at prison, I'm going to enjoy my day every day because at the end of the day, this is all I got, you know? And you may be incarcerated 15, 20 years. And it's just about - you know, they accept anybody, you know? He was sentenced to 31 years to life for attempted robbery in 1999. I'm not doing this. Woods has served 21 years of a 31 to life prison sentence. And so to me, that meant he was a very good observer. Wake up to the day's most important news. T WOODS: One the 19 - November 19, 2013 - federal prison - we have phones, and we have emails. Earlonnes sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to share their experiences behind bars. E WOODS: I don't - I think when you're living in the moment, you feel untouchable. Earlonne Woods, 47, was recently released from San Quentin State Prison after California Gov. So you look at the time wasted, and you look at, man, if I knew better or I should've did better. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. Earlonne Woods Wife Earlonne resides in the United States. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. You - you - you always feel that you're better than getting killed, like you would never get killed. Earlonne continues to co-host the show with Nigel. The victims of a crime are faceless. A person can get certain - a certain amount of time for the crime that they commit. Earlonne, until the end of November, was a prisoner. He had just became a paramedic or something. 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. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. And they - and I received 31 years to life. E WOODS: But I wouldn't have it no other way. Accuracy and availability may vary. There's a story you did about how people like you from the outside who come in to volunteer - because you started at San Quentin volunteering teaching photography before you started doing the podcast Ear Hustle. ERIN: I don't - I don't know. It was a private wedding ceremony, according to accounts. So I'm not thinking that it's serious as much as I'm hearing. [1][10] As of Season 4, Woods continues to make the podcast from outside prison, while Rahsaan "New York" Thomas was announced as a new co-host for recordings done inside San Quentin. And when I went in the second time, my friend Furman Little (ph) was killed the night we were arrested. The San Francisco Public Library chose the title for its One City One Book citywide community reading program in 2022. Woods and Poor cohost the show while Williams does the show's sound design, working in San Quentin's media lab to record music and effects, including foley work. After 21 years in prison, Governor Brown the great governor of California decided that I served enough time, Woods said in the latest episode of Ear Hustle. And the phone rang in the media lab. "[9] She also praised its originality, "[using] prisoners' storytelling skills to show what it's like to spend decades behind bars. It was other people telling, you know, their stories about being robbed or losing a child, losing a loved one. My first prison term, I went to jail when I was 17. Aaron Taylor. They surrounded Tyler around a - at a apartment building, where he was trying to climb up to the roof. E WOODS: So I'll give you example. And I hit the floor. But to hear the very next day that he was killed - and my mother is who told me. Woods was involved in an attempted robbery in 1997, when he was in his 20s. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). And it was one of them, I guess could you say, moments where you just feel embarrassed about your previous conduct. I pretty much raised Tyler from '95 to '97, when I got arrested. It's a job. Others are typical and comfortable, never rising to celebrity status but supplying its partners with a contented existence. I'm fine working with him now. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. And it might help you. POOR: While you're thinking, can I tell you some of the things that are just going through my mind about it? He had served 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. After you got out of San Quentin, you and Nigel went to the governor's mansion. And when the men started filing into my class, I was like, oh, what have I done? But you look back, and you're looking at it like, I've wasted, like - I can say right now, I'm 47 years old. What's it like to not care about the person who you're robbing or the person who might be killed by a stray bullet? You know what I'm saying? My guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the co-hosts and co-producers of Ear Hustle, a podcast featuring their interviews with men incarcerated in San Quentin. Los Angeles, CA. GROSS: That people can change and that you should look at the person and not just the crime - that you'd still be in prison, I mean? E WOODS: It is - they see something that I can't see. I go over to Nigel's house, hang out with her husband Rick. In some ways, like, I find it hard to understand that somebody, like, wouldn't have any empathy for the victim and wouldn't care. 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. GROSS: Yeah. I've spent a total of 27 years in prison. I had to really work through it and think about it. . So I still had a 17-year-old mentality. You were OK with that? What's it like to not think about that? Due to the complex and time-consuming bureaucratic challenges associated with unusual prison activities, she decided that audio would be easier to manage than video. Yes, he can come to my house. Co-founded by San Francisco Bay Area artist Nigel Poor alongside Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams who were incarcerated at the time the podcast now tells stories from both inside prison and from the outside, post-incarceration. T WOODS: I received an email from one of my partners. E WOODS: It was devastating because I had - one, I had just talked to Tyler, like, probably the day before. Ear Hustle was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting, and won a Alfred I. duPontColumbia University Award in 2021. We can go to a restaurant. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life in prison. And I thought, well, those are kind of qualities that you need to be able to bring people out. Williams was serving a 15-year sentence for armed robbery with a gun enhancement. Williams, 29, has served more than 10 years on a 15-year sentence for armed robbery. And then I saw him in this awesome, orange T-shirt that had some brown in it. E WOODS: He got a hell of a collection of vinyl. Author, Project Leader of CHOOSE1 Opinions are my own linktr.ee/Earlonnewoods Posts Reels Videos Tagged Show More Posts from earlonnewoods POOR: I can let Earlonne answer that one. I was hoping I could talk to you a little bit about it. And E WOODS: And of course I enjoy all the little moments. One is that you're going to get killed, and the other is that you'll eventually go to jail. And they shot at Tyler, like, 40-something times. Woods has served 21 years of a 31 to life prison sentence. GROSS: So this gets back to something you were just saying. But I took way more from that person than $1. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. SHAPIRO: When you said goodbye to him, were you crying? Earlonne Woods, co-host of the popular prison podcast Ear Hustle, had his sentence commuted by California Gov. He became affiliated with a local Crips gang in high school, and began selling marijuana at 14, and later sold cocaine. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. And you really get a better understanding of your impact that you've personally had on people in society. California Gov. Earlonne holds an American nationality and white ethnicity. And I was paroled when I was 23, about to turn 24. Poor, a professor of photography at CSU Sacramento, was volunteering with the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison when she met Woods, who was serving a 31-year-to-life sentence. He received a sentence of 31-years-to-life. Earlonne was born in 1972, in the United States. Earlonnes average salary is $61,244 per year. Therefore, Earlonne has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. So, Nigel, when you decided you wanted to start, like, a interview series that started on KALW - the public - one of the public radio stations in San Francisco, and then it became a podcast - you wanted a co-host and co-producer who was incarcerated in San Quentin. So for me internally, I started my change. How do you deal with family, love, depression, having children, finding meaning in life? He is 49 years old. Like, all of a sudden, you know POOR: We'll be like regular colleagues. And it was very hard for that to not change the way I felt about him. SHAPIRO: That's Earlonne Woods from the podcast "Ear Hustle." EARLONNE WOODS: Well, I just keep getting up every morning, you know, thankful that I have another day, thankful that I'm alive, you know? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. GROSS: And, Earlonne, I look forward to your interviews with people who, like you, are transitioning back into society from prison. E WOODS: I think - I was just tripping off - he was just peeling back one of the Beatles POOR: Oh, yeah. He is a man of average height. He understood human nature. Woods is an inmate of the San Quentin State Prison in California. I think maybe 14 years in my sentence, I went to San Quentin. And Trevor, your brother, speaks first. And on their way back to the auntie's house, they were pulled over by Long Beach Police Department - two officers. (SOUNDBITE OF ETIENNE CHARLES' "MIDNIGHT"). So I'm going to enjoy. And, you know, we was clowning on the phone. California Gov. Brown cited Woods' leadership in . Earlonne was an inmate as well as a host. She'll continue to do interviews inside San Quentin. They said that, hey, when you went to jail when you were 17 - yeah, it was one time, but there was two convictions in that case. But then someone will research you and be like, did they just feed me a bunch of bull [expletive]. Along with Nigel Poor, he is a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of Ear Hustle at PRX. Earlonne still co-hosts the show alongside Nigel. After 21 years in prison, Governor Brown the great governor of California decided that I served enough time, Woods said in the latest. He spin his vinyl. 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. GROSS: And you thanked him for doing it. It destroys hope, and it violates the principle that redemption is at the essence of what it is to be human. [16], Alfred I. duPontColumbia University Award, "Immigrants facing deportation, drug offenders and a former state lawmaker receive pardons from Gov. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Lana Wolf, Eric Marcus, Robert Marawa, Who is Redmond ONeal? And so to hear this is what happened to him - ah. Don't be out there doing no robberies, none of that stuff. They're very polite. 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. And then the question is, well, what do we do about that? What are some of the ways you think you've changed over the years? He likes to keep his personal life private hence Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his marital status. We will update you once we have more information about Earlonnes marital status. I'd rather not know. It was like 2 in the morning. When Earlonne was in, I was probably in there 40-plus hours a week, and I'm not a masochist. Poor, a professor of photography at CSU Sacramento, was volunteering with the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison when she met Woods, who was serving a 31-year-to-life sentence. ERIN: No, I don't feel you're being unfair at all, and I don't ultimately know what my hesitancy is. And they say Tyler just took off running. E WOODS: So I think that goes into, like, what they call politics in prison and where, you know, you may have certain prisons that it matters what you're in prison for like - and it's a difference on a race level. POOR: It's the bay - yeah, the bay, yeah. Earlonne is of white ethnicity and American nationality. Tyler had missed a court appearance, so he feared that he would be locked up. Accuracy and availability may vary. I'd rather deal with anyone, actually, as they are in front of me at that moment. Like, in the county jail, I was like, OK, I'm done with this side of life because even though our philosophy growing up was for death though - you know, meaning I'd rather be carried by six than judged by 12 - that was just the philosophy we had growing up, you know? explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. Jerry Brown commuted his sentence for attempted armed robbery. I was questioning everything. All rights reserved. I find it invigorating. I'll say I've - on the second term - so the first term is where I did all the solitary stuff. So you can't wear blue, which is what they wear. POOR: I walked him to the gate; you know, wished him good luck. Not at all. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. Woods said he was only trying to be helpful, but was arrested by local sheriffs who did not question why he had lifted the gate; Woods subsequently had to appear in juvenile court. You know, they get to see each other in passing. The responding officers shot him five times, killed him. Earlonne Woods annual salary is $61,244 on average. No, and I laugh because had Governor Brown probably not been the governor, I would still have 10 years of my sentence left. POOR: You get a lot of calls from guys at San E WOODS: I get a lot of 15-minute calls from prison. We called up Nigel Poor today to ask her about it, and she said that when they got the news yesterday, they were in the middle of making an episode. WOODS: That's something that a lot of us behind bars fantasize about - getting out and leading a normal life. I got out, stayed out two years, 10 months and found myself back in jail for attempted second-degree robbery. And, Earlonne, since you served so much time, let's start with you. 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