
Free Daily Podcast Summary
by Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, and that’s what listening to the show feels like: a raw, often funny, and always surprising peek into the reality of life inside prison. Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show that launched in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, where Nigel was a volunteer teaching photography. Since Earlonne’s release in 2018, the show has expanded to include stories from prisons across the state, including the California Institution for Women, as well as stories about getting out of prison and starting over, post-incarceration. From finding romance, to grappling with a life sentence, to trying to parent via 15-minute phone calls, Ear Hustle stories deliver what This American Life host Ira Glass calls a “very real” and “untragic” take on prison life.
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
Inside producers Tam and Sadiq take over the mic to introduce us to a (mostly) new crop of musicians heard out on the yard at San Quentin. And: some big news from an OG friend of the show. Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Coming up: a never-before-aired interview recorded right after Earlonne was released from prison. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, and Joshua Burton. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Chanelo, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women’s Facility, for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Jack spent 35 years in a security housing unit, aka "the hole," and he’s got some stories to tell. You can hear more about Jack's story on the PBS documentary The Strike. Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Last week, Nigel took Ear Plustlers on a mysterious "friend date." On our next Plus episode, Nigel and Earlonne talk to the Drexel University researcher who brought "Little Scandinavia" to a Pennsylvania prison. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Tam Nguyen, and Earlonne Woods. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Acting Warden Chanelo and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
E and Nyge would like a quick word. Sign up for Ear Hustle Plus at earhustlesq.com/plus. (Supercast subscribers: Keep an eye on your email for instructions on how to set up your new EH+ feed.)Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
We solicited questions about life in prison from audience members at our live shows. Then, we took those questions into a couple prisons we'd never been to before — Folsom State Prison in California, and SCI Chester in Pennsylvania — and got answers. Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! Next week, Nigel takes EH+ subscribers on a mysterious "friend date." And coming up: a conversation with the Drexel University researcher who brought "Little Scandinavia" to a Pennsylvania prison. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Big thanks to the folks at SCI Chester in Pennsylvania, and Folsom State Prison in California, for showing us around and answering Catch a Kite questions for this episode. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, and Derrell Sadiq Davis. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Here's a preview from the new season of Examined, a podcast from Pushkin Industries that looks at the realities of incarceration from the perspective of a wrongful conviction. This season: The Backfire Effect. Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Michigan, a 20-year-old student was shot dead in broad daylight. The police quickly found their suspect. But there was a problem: The man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. Journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators, and local reporters to unravel a story of judicial apathy and expedience. The Backfire Effect asks whether the system had already made up its mind about the suspect before it ever got to the facts. Find Examined: The Backfire Effect wherever you get podcasts, and hear the entire season, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Examined show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.This is a sponsored feed drop. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Two people are connected by a terrible crime, committed over 30 years ago. What do we owe the people we hurt, and how long does that debt endure? Subscribe to Ear Hustle Plus! In the feed this week: Earlonne and Nigel get a reading from San Quentin village's resident Mayan astrologer and clairvoyant. And coming up: Nigel takes EH+ subscribers on a mysterious "friend date." Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel at the Central California Women's Facility, for their support of the show. Thanks also to R. Hosea Collins at the Calvary Baptist Church of Hawthorne and Commissioner Robert Barton and the California Board of Parole. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A psychic. An RV park. A one-room post office. San Quentin's prison gets all the headlines, but just over the wall, there's a whole other world to explore. This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Earlonne Woods. Thanks, as always, to Warden Andes, Lt. Berry, and Sgt. Graves at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Avina at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Vogel 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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Rumors of a prison swimming pool, losing cherished memories to new technology, the right to housing in prison, and different ways of looking at a letter: Our first class of storytellers at the California Institution for Women dives deep into these subjects in the inaugural issue of CIW: The Magazine. This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Antwan Williams, Darrell Sadiq Davis, and Earlonne Woods. Thanks to Acting Warden Padilla, Associate Warden Lewis, and PIO Avina at the California Institution for Women for supporting our work at CIW. 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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Listeners also like.

Radiolab
Explores complex questions through investigative journalism, blending science, history, and human stories with innovative sound design.

Earsay: The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club
A book club for audiobook lovers where hosts, authors, and guests discuss their favorite Audible titles across genres.

Embedded
Unearths hidden stories behind the headlines through immersive, deeply reported audio documentaries.

The Read
Two friends critique pop culture and navigate life in New York with humor, shade, and candid conversation.

Fresh Air
Intimate interviews with prominent figures in arts, culture, and current affairs.

Generation Why: True Crime
Explores true crime cases, mysteries, and conspiracies through detailed research and analysis by hosts Justin and Aaron.

This American Life
True stories exploring weekly themes with emotional depth, humor, and narrative twists, capturing the complexities of contemporary life.

Ridiculous Crime
Outlandish true crime stories focused on absurd heists, cons, and criminal antics with minimal violence.

Criminal
Stories about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or found themselves in morally complex situations.

Swindled
Explores white-collar crime and corporate misconduct through immersive storytelling and archival audio.

Drink Champs
Rappers and hip-hop figures share candid, humorous stories over drinks about their lives and careers in this unfiltered conversation series.

Earn Your Leisure
Examines finance in entertainment and sports, breaks down business models, and explores entrepreneurial stories with a pop culture perspective.
Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, and that’s what listening to the show feels like: a raw, often funny, and always surprising peek into the reality of life inside prison. Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show that launched in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, where Nigel was a volunteer teaching photography. Since Earlonne’s release in 2018, the show has expanded to include stories from prisons across the state, including the California Institution for Women, as well as stories about getting out of prison and starting over, post-incarceration. From finding romance, to grappling with a life sentence, to trying to parent via 15-minute phone calls, Ear Hustle stories deliver what This American Life host Ira Glass calls a “very real” and “untragic” take on prison life.
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Get key takeaways from Ear Hustle in a 5-minute read.
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Ear Hustle as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Ear Hustle & Radiotopia.
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
Ear Hustle publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
Ear Hustle covers topics including Documentary, Culture, Society & Culture. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.