POOR: There's something I have to talk to you about. GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the co-creators of the podcast Ear Hustle. Nigel is a professor of photography at Cal State. Woods learned of his commutation the day before Thanksgiving. In November 2018, Woods' sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. GROSS: Well, why don't we take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more? And you start thinking differently, you know? And you have another 11 to go. So this is JERRY BROWN: It all goes to this point that something very bad happens, and people will say, OK, now we're putting you in jail for a very long time. POOR: How do we tell stories and leave out that part? Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November after his sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. [8][9] Poor is a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay area who volunteers at the prison. So there's a rule that pertains to the volunteers who come in, and they're not allowed to have, like, close relationships with the prisoners, anything that gets really intimate or emotional. He likes to keep his personal life private hence Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his marital status. Woods' sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to tell stories of life behind bars. With grace and humor they walk through what life is really like behind bars, showing the humanity and depth of those they meet inside." --Catherine Burns, artistic director, The Moth "I listen to Ear . Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. I was going to Nigel's house the other day, and I was an hour early. It didn't work out, unfortunately. 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. California Gov. Its out of body, he said of getting the call from Browns office. GROSS: And you basically just described your own situation when you were incarcerated because you got 31 to life for attempted second-degree robbery. Poor is a professor of photography at California State University in Sacramento. POOR: I'm so glad you asked about this. OK. You're sitting across from law enforcement. "[9] The show's unique lens and intimate first-person storytelling is noted in most reviews. POOR: But I get to see his brother and catch him up on what you're doing. GROSS: Are you going to go back and visit him? I get to see how they express love and tenderness and fear and frustration and how they posture and what's behind that. Earlonne stands at a height of 5 ft 7 in ( Approx1.7 m). I'll say I've - on the second term - so the first term is where I did all the solitary stuff. "[9] The series is not overtly political, but Poor emphasizes the way the show can have a humanizing effect, making listeners care about the men they hear on the show and wonder why one of the hosts might serve a life sentence for attempted robbery. GROSS: To stay sane in a situation like that. And Jerry Brown was then the governor of California. Usually, you can't go back into a correctional facility on parole. E WOODS: In between prison - when I got out - Tyler had just been born in '94. I'd still be sitting in San Quentin in a cell with my brother. And you really get a better understanding of your impact that you've personally had on people in society. There's a man that I worked with for quite a while that I was very fond of. In 2018, California governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne Woods' sentence, citing Ear Hustle as a significant contributor to his reformation as an American citizen. This is what we work for because there comes a moment in every person in prison's life where the light switch go on. So you recorded interviews with Trevor and Tyra talking about how difficult it is to maintain a relationship with your child when you're incarcerated and how difficult it is to help them stay out of trouble. [5], Prior to Ear Hustle, Poor ran a photography class at the prison during which one of her students proposed making a documentary. And, Earlonne, since you served so much time, let's start with you. And Earlonne just had his sentence commuted by Governor Jerry Brown in November after serving 21 years. Content Creator @CoinAcademy; Pres. "[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". I enjoy every second of every day. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator with Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. POOR: And the other thing is we've always - we've tried to always keep this as equal as possible. GROSS: And you thanked him for doing it. 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. [2], Woods first went to prison at 17 for two concurrent convictions of kidnapping and robbing a drug dealer, and was released at 23. And I was paroled when I was 23, about to turn 24. TYRA WOODSON: And he began acting out. So you become accustomed to that lifestyle. Our senior producer today is Roberta Shorrock. They searched Tyler, and then they ran his name. The responding officers shot him five times, killed him. GROSS: So this gets back to something you were just saying. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Lana Wolf, Eric Marcus, Robert Marawa, Who is Redmond ONeal? So what - one of the things that I've really taken away from being in prison is that I've gotten an incredible glimpse into what it means to be a man and what men deal with. We'll be right back. 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. In November 2018, Woods' sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. In 2020, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting the first time the . Redmond O'Neal is the son of American actor Ryan O'Neal and Farah Fawcett (an America. And that's the only way of life that you're accustomed to 'cause that's all you see. When asked earlier this year what was the first thing he would do if he got out, Woods said, Take a bath. I probably was like 14. 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. 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? Earlonne Woods educational background is unavailable. E WOODS: It is - they see something that I can't see. We will update you once we have more information about Earlonnes marital status. You may be a changed individual, all the way changed, would never commit another crime. Kourtney Kellar is an American model, social media celebrity, influencer, media face, and Internet personality. Tyra got arrested first for kidnap and robbery. 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. "Ear Hustle" the phrase is slang for eavesdropping is a collaboration between Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, both prisoners at San Quentin, and Nigel Poor, a Bay Area visual artist who teaches photography classes at the prison. Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. Co-produced by inmates Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams . 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. E WOODS: Right. 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? 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. Also Read: Earlonne Woods, . China. Copyright 2019 NPR. 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. [5] He served his last seven years at San Quentin. What's it like to not think about that? 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. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). 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. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. But we knew that, you know, it's traditional for the governor to do these commutations right before Thanksgiving. Earlonnes sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to share their experiences behind bars. Some might say that Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods were destined to meet. All rights reserved. [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. When I called my mother, she told me this, right? Nigel first started going to San Quentin as a volunteer teaching photography. Earlonne still co-hosts the show alongside Nigel. His sentence was commuted yesterday. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. 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.. After you got out of San Quentin, you and Nigel went to the governor's mansion. Woods was involved in an attempted robbery in 1997, when he was in his 20s. When Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods met, Nigel was a photography professor volunteering with the Prison University Project and Earlonne was serving thirty-one years to life at California's San Quentin State Prison. But the law don't see your rehabilitation. Those are my partners. Woods is a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of PRXs Ear Hustle with Nigel Poor. Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for originally incarcerated people, while also documenting his own experiences. [16] In 2021, Woods and Poor co-authored the book This Is Ear Hustle. There's all these restrictions. GROSS: We talk about the podcast and before we talk about your work together, Earlonne, I want to talk with you about life outside. Before creating the podcast, Woods and Poor did interviews with inmates in San Quentin for public radio station KALW in San Francisco. And I just said, when you come back, you're going to be almost a free man. Is that OK? (SOUNDBITE OF GOLDMUND'S "THE BALLAD OF BARBARA ALLEN"). And it's all that some of the people that you choose to associate with do, you know? GROSS: This is FRESH AIR, and if you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. 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