It's a job. [12] On October 19, 2021, co-hosts Poor and Woods released a book on the podcast, This Is Ear Hustle. Let's get back to my interview with Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the creators and hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle, featuring interviews with prisoners in San Quentin about their lives and what it's like to be incarcerated. And they shot at Tyler, like, 40-something times. 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. Nigel is a professor of photography at Cal State. Jerry Brown is releasing Woods from San Quentin State Prison after two decades behind bars. And for most people - for most people inside, they just want the chance to represent the person that they are today, you know? Vice President . And it was just like - it didn't even register with me. E WOODS: I think the mentality is more of crime to you is a job. Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. And so (laughter) it was just incredible. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. Woods said that the show chose the topic of cellmates for its first episode to ensure the show was relatable, since most people can relate to having a bad roommate. [9][7] Ear Hustle was the first podcast entirely recorded and produced inside a prison. Woods is expected to be released on parole in the coming days, after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. It addresses important issues about being human and how prisoners can be contributing citizens. You know what I'm saying? Earlonne Woods was born in the United States in 1972. Like, I take you as the man you are in front of me. It's something. 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. So I gave him, you know, a handshake with as much emotion as I could muster POOR: Appropriately. I think maybe 14 years in my sentence, I went to San Quentin. . POOR: You can't blend into what the guys inside wear. And her son had attended a party. Thank you both so much for talking with us. They fell in love just like anyone else would. Therefore, Earlonne has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. They grow up literally., In Browns letter announcing the commutation, the governor echoed that thought, saying Woods has clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed this crime., He has set a positive example, Brown wrote. You know, they playing with guns or whatever have you. When asked earlier this year what was the first thing he would do if he got out, Woods said, Take a bath. POOR: You get a lot of calls from guys at San E WOODS: I get a lot of 15-minute calls from prison. - like, was with him pretty much every day. But apparently it's fine - like, if you fall in love, the prisoner and the volunteer fall in love, that's fine as long as the volunteer or the staff person is no longer going to be working there in any capacity. And so I want to play an excerpt of that. 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. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are gifted storytellers, and their ability to draw intimate, authentic stories out of others is extraordinary. Earlonne continues to co-host the show with Nigel. Eventually, the marriage fell apart. But we knew that, you know, it's traditional for the governor to do these commutations right before Thanksgiving. And I was - yeah, I was definitely nervous. His first book, OG Told Me, is a memoir-style collection of essays about Harshaw's. 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. Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life . And, like a lot of inmates, he's been thinking about this moment for a long time. 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. [3] After two rounds of judging, Ear Hustle was selected as the winner and added to the Radiotopia network. His mother was a postal worker and his father was an unemployed alcoholic, who Woods described as violent and distant. And I spend a lot of time in there. It was other people telling, you know, their stories about being robbed or losing a child, losing a loved one. The rest of it is just an enhancement. What keeps your hopes up? Why we living like we don't care - because this is somehow how we grew up and how - since as early teenager we've been living in the streets, in the gangs. 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. I don't know. And it's the way people would hope other people think that, hey, OK, I've done my time. GROSS: Earlonne, how did you learn how to keep your calm and live in the kind of confined situation you were in during the more than two decades that you were incarcerated? POOR: I'm so glad you asked about this. Does that mean we're self-absorbed? Earlonne, until the end of November, was a prisoner. E WOODS: He got a hell of a collection of vinyl. Since the podcasts launch in 2017, its been downloaded, announcing the commutation, the governor echoed that thought, saying Woods has clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was when he committed this crime.. But, as to being cool with it, it's what it is. Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November after his sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. GROSS: And, Earlonne, I look forward to your interviews with people who, like you, are transitioning back into society from prison. After 21 years in prison, Governor Brown the great governor of California decided that I served enough time, Woods said in the latest. [3] According to The Economist, by this time Woods was one of the most famous incarcerated people in the US. After a break, we'll hear and talk about excerpts of two episodes of Ear Hustle, one about a death that was devastating for Earlonne, the other about an interview that raised serious ethical questions for Nigel. [16] In 2021, Woods and Poor co-authored the book This Is Ear Hustle. When Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods met, Poor was a photography professor volunteering with the Prison University Project, and Woods was serving thirty-one years to life at California's San Quentin State Prison. And Trevor, your brother, speaks first. And one of my goals has been for us to travel to other prisons, and I never wanted to do that without Earlonne. Like, I just walked away, you know? E WOODS: In between prison - when I got out - Tyler had just been born in '94. GROSS: So you know, you're a middle-aged man now. "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. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. Who is Kourtney Kellar? And the captain comes in. POOR: And it's going to be a little bit hard. T WOODS: You know, he was ripping and running with the gangs. I think I was probably like eight years old when it came to me that one day I have to die. Don't be out there doing no robberies, none of that stuff. Like, all of a sudden, you know POOR: We'll be like regular colleagues. So you'll never get the opportunity to be in front of people to present the person that you are today. So I'm trying to like - I'm trying to partner with you here. So me, personally, I would eradicate the three strikes law in California. 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. [9], In a Rolling Stone article about the show, Tana Ganeva called it "a fascinating, harrowing and also deeply entertaining look into life on the inside that runs the full gamut of emotions. You know, when I was out for the two years 10 months, I raised Tyler, you know? [6] While in San Quentin, Woods was unpaid for his work on Ear Hustle, though fans would often send him money. 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? SHAPIRO: Earlonne Woods is 47. Earlonne is of white ethnicity and American nationality. And then I saw him in this awesome, orange T-shirt that had some brown in it. But yeah, I can't. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. His sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown in November. They searched Tyler, and then they ran his name. But then someone will research you and be like, did they just feed me a bunch of bull [expletive]. 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. GROSS: A job because you thought it was, like, your only source of income? I've spent a total of 27 years in prison. I'll say I've - on the second term - so the first term is where I did all the solitary stuff. You have to go through a lot of E WOODS: Yeah, it's a lot of stuff you have to go through. 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. Woods helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. 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. 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. When he was 15, he committed his first robbery alongside his brother, who had transitioned from selling drugs to robbing drug dealers. Author, Project Leader of CHOOSE1 Opinions are my own linktr.ee/Earlonnewoods Posts Reels Videos Tagged Show More Posts from earlonnewoods WOODSON: They told me that my son was murdered - well, killed. You feel invincible in some ways. I'm Terry Gross. And you've had two separate stays, and the last one lasted 21 years. In 2016, it was selected by the Radiotopia network as the winner of its Podquest competition, and the following year released its first season. No. So in that case, I didn't dig in. Like, what - why were we on this path, you know? He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . And he used to come see me, you know, a lot. I've never had a problem. You know that it could be a possibility, but it's a possibility that you've seen pretty much your whole life, you know? He is now 47. GROSS: Nigel, let me bring you into the conversation. Earlonne Woods is co-creator, co-producer and co-host of Ear Hustle from Radiotopia. He became affiliated with a local Crips gang in high school, and began selling marijuana at 14, and later sold cocaine. Earlonnes sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to share their experiences behind bars. So I'm going to enjoy. 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. GROSS: And - so you interviewed him about commuting your sentence. ERIN: Oh, [expletive]. You were OK with that? It was like 2 in the morning. And it's fine. And so I want to play the part where you return to ask him that difficult question. He has the age of 49. Copyright 2019 NPR. GROSS: Earlonne, what's the custom among men in San Quentin? I go over to Nigel's house, hang out with her husband Rick. It mentally puts you in a whole different space. , after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. He's been behind bars for more than 20 years. In 2020, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting the first time the . So now we can actually do that and even POOR: Hopefully go to other countries, too. Wake up to the day's most important news. And he said the thing that all women fear is that I raped women because I could. POOR: OK. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. He does not, however, expose his wife's identity to the public. 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 able to call me collect. What's it like to not think about that? Ive been taking showers for like 20 years.. GROSS: That was Governor Jerry Brown interviewed by my guests Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. 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. Woods is an inmate of the San Quentin State Prison in California. Can people change? Earlonnes net worth is estimated to be $657,586. TYRA WOODSON: And he began acting out. I actually oddly enjoy being in there. 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. Everybody we know live the same lifestyle, you know? GROSS: Wait; so that means, like, you'd rather die than be E WOODS: Yes, yes. I get to see how they express love and tenderness and fear and frustration and how they posture and what's behind that. They eventually met this person. No, people get up to a thousand years to life for something that they've done in their past. My first prison term, I went to jail when I was 17. No, and I laugh because had Governor Brown probably not been the governor, I would still have 10 years of my sentence left. [5][15] In 2020, alongside Poor and co-host Rahsaan Thomas, Woods was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. The podcast title, Ear Hustle, is prison slang for eavesdropping or being nosy. We can go to a restaurant. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three Strikes Law, the statute under . I was going to Nigel's house the other day, and I was an hour early. GROSS: The new, as yet, unannounced host will be with you (laughter). And, Earlonne, since you served so much time, let's start with you. [3][4] In 1997, at the age of 25, he was arrested for attempted second degree robbery. GROSS: Yeah. And we just had such great conversations. Just to be out there with her.. But the - the problem is is that a lot of the sentences are a hundred years, 200 years, 300 years. The two bonded over a love of storytelling and with no formal experience, began a podcast together where they showcase the . Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted armed robbery. 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. So you look at the time wasted, and you look at, man, if I knew better or I should've did better. You have to wear the same clothes all the time. E WOODS: Right. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. I've never felt scared or disrespected. And many people around me wasn't like that. Despite the lack of physical or forensic evidence, Caramad Conley was convicted of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, two counts of first degree murder, and eleven counts of attempted It was transformational symposiums. POOR: I know. Trevor was wanted and was on the run. [3], Woods met artist and volunteer Nigel Poor, who was teaching photography at the film school. We'll be right back. Nigel is a professor of photography at California State University in Sacramento. You're sitting across from law enforcement. GROSS: That Tyler was killed while they were in prison. You're sitting across from politicians. And I hit the floor. So I want to ask you each to choose one thing that you would like to change in the system of - in the prison system or in mass incarceration. E WOODS: So I'll give you example. For the first few months after Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November, his "Ear Hustle" podcast co-host Nigel Poor kept receiving photos of ice cream on her phone. [5] Woods role on the podcast was well-received, with Sarah Larson from The New Yorker describing him as an "immediately warm and likable presence",[10] while Eddie Harana from Rolling Stone praised the sense of humor he brought to the show. POOR: I walked him to the gate; you know, wished him good luck. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. What we did was humanize [prisoners], just by telling their stories, Woods said in February. That was something that was volunteered to me. And so to me, that meant he was a very good observer. Woods' sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to tell stories of life behind bars. 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? GROSS: And you basically just described your own situation when you were incarcerated because you got 31 to life for attempted second-degree robbery. I'm on a podcast. And I believe, personally, that that will ease overcrowding because there are a lot of people in prison that deserve to be out. [5][6], The show is produced by Earlonne Woods, Rahsaan "New York" Thomas, and Nigel Poor. And, Earlonne, again, I want to thank - I want to congratulate you again for your new freedom. He is a man of average stature. We get - I mean, it's - you know, it's - we're just E WOODS: You're able to go out now. As a result, it is unknown whether Earlonne is single, dating, or married. And as time went on, as years went on, I stuck to my guns. POOR: It is a different world over there. Brown cited Woods' leadership in . "When. Trevor has done 14 years of a 36-year sentence. Earlonne Woods: Number one. She inherits his dog, a 180-pound Great Dane, who, like her, is grieving. I took their security from them to even walk out the house and feel safe, you know? E WOODS: So on November 19, Tyler and his auntie and some other lady went to 7-Eleven to get a pack of cigarettes. I don't know if it's a lake. 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. Nigel, I want to play an excerpt of an episode that you were very prominent in. [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 is 5 feet 7 inches tall ( Approx1.7 m). 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? Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. Kourtney Kellar is an American model, social media celebrity, influencer, media face, and Internet personality. Like, he just seemed lighter and shiny and fresh. Don't be - whatever you do, don't play with no guns. I think my mother told me she loved Jesus more than she loved me. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Ear Hustle co-hosted by Woods and Nigel Poor, an artist and volunteer at San Quentin interviews men in the prison about their lives there. So I think as far as African-American culture in prison, I don't think nobody really cares why you're in prison. Much for talking with us ] on October 19, 2021, Woods said take... In my sentence, I was out for the Governor to do that without Earlonne their ability to draw,. 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