Not at all. Tyra got arrested first for kidnap and robbery, and she was sentenced to 17 years. When asked earlier this year what was the first thing he would do if he got out, Woods said, Take a bath. And it would give the people inside the opportunity to stretch themselves intellectually and emotionally, so just creating more of a connection. When Earlonne was in, I was probably in there 40-plus hours a week, and I'm not a masochist. 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. The two bonded over a love of storytelling and with no formal experience, began a podcast together where they showcase the . WOODSON: I used to work for the captain at CIW in the program office. Woods is expected to be released on parole in the coming days, after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. [7] Woods relocated to Oakland, California after his release, and was hired full-time as a producer and co-host of Ear Hustle. "[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. 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. POOR: Well, let me ask you this - do you feel like we're being unfair trying to make you do this? Woods is an inmate of the San Quentin State Prison in California. And then I got into the lifestyle of robbing drug dealers. I have all the different people that I talk to as I work my way down to the media lab. And he used to come see me, you know, a lot. China. After 21 years in prison, Governor Brown the great governor of California decided that I served enough time, Woods said in the latest. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are gifted storytellers, and their ability to draw intimate, authentic stories out of others is extraordinary. 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. Instead of me representing it, Earlonne and I can represent it together. We're able to share food. Nigel is a professor of photography at Cal State. 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. He's been behind bars for more than 20 years. At the time, your brother and your nephew's mother, Tyra, were living what you describe as a life of crime together. They fell in love just like anyone else would. Poor is a professor of photography at California State University in Sacramento. How do you deal with family, love, depression, having children, finding meaning in life? 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? She first started working at San Quentin in 2011 as a volunteer in the Prison University Project, teaching the history of photography. Like, my mother used to bring him. It was the first podcast to be entirely created and produced inside a prison. I realized that he had a really intense work ethic that matched my own and that we just really got along. I think I was probably like eight years old when it came to me that one day I have to die. E WOODS: I don't - I think when you're living in the moment, you feel untouchable. And then what worries me is, like, so people will leave with this very, like, I love this guy. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. But to hear the very next day that he was killed - and my mother is who told me. [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. He had just became a paramedic or something. [3] According to The Economist, by this time Woods was one of the most famous incarcerated people in the US. Don't be - whatever you do, don't play with no guns. So it's been a real eye-opener for me. He's able to call me collect. Through his podcast, [Woods] has shared meaningful stories from those inside prison.. The podcast team announced Tuesday that it will hire Woods as an employee on the show. I'm not doing this. And so being in prison has just really altered that. They searched Tyler, and then they ran his name. Woods' sentence was recently commuted, but the two continue to tell stories of life behind bars. 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. Poor's teaching work led her to a vast archive filled with photographs taken from life inside the prison that she began using in . 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. Woods has served 21 years of a 31 to life prison sentence. And, Earlonne, since you served so much time, let's start with you. And Nigel is also a professor of photography at California State University. I'm always interested in people who - I'm quiet myself. 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. I think my mother told me she loved Jesus more than she loved me. So I'm going to enjoy. Earlonne Woods is a popular American podcaster. "[15], The New Yorker's Sarah Larson said the show "might be the best new podcast Ive heard this year" and described it as being "about the creativity required to live a satisfying lifeor even a sane lifein prison, and is itself a product of that creativity. [8][9] Poor is a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay area who volunteers at the prison. POOR: I can let Earlonne answer that one. Trevor was wanted and was on the run. I'm Terry Gross. 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. 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. GROSS: And, Earlonne, I look forward to your interviews with people who, like you, are transitioning back into society from prison. But very quickly, when we started talking about photography - I was teaching a history of photography class - that kind of melted away. But the things that you do in your past do add dimension to who you are in this moment. Nigel is a professor at California State University. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. TYRA WOODSON: And he began acting out. 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. He is a man of average height. 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. And you may be incarcerated 15, 20 years. And, like a lot of inmates, he's been thinking about this moment for a long time. GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, the co-creators of the podcast Ear Hustle. And I'm not even talking about physically intimate, but just emotionally intimate is against regulations. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three Strikes Law, the statute under . Is that OK? This is FRESH AIR. So I think I did what, pretty much, my community did that was around me. So now we can actually do that and even POOR: Hopefully go to other countries, too. 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. T WOODS: You know, he was ripping and running with the gangs. He is a man of average stature. A person can get certain - a certain amount of time for the crime that they commit. No. 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. And it was very hard for that to not change the way I felt about him. 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. After California Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence last month, Woods reflects on. And, Earlonne, again, I want to thank - I want to congratulate you again for your new freedom. But, as to being cool with it, it's what it is. Woods never used the drug, though became addicted to the money and lifestyle selling it provided. POOR: It's the bay - yeah, the bay, yeah. 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 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? Mentally, it do, you know? E WOODS: But I wouldn't have it no other way. Earlier this year, we introduced you to a man named Earlonne Woods who got some big news yesterday. I think the scope of the number of people that could possibly listen to this, I'm just really nervous about that. Part of HuffPost News. Earlonne Woods is co-creator, co-producer and co-host of Ear Hustle from Radiotopia. Like, he just seemed lighter and shiny and fresh. GROSS: That Tyler was killed while they were in prison. It was a private wedding ceremony, according to accounts. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . 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. 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. In 2020, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting the first time the . And I got into this group. Presently, Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his parents. And then Trevor was arrested when their son, Tyler, was 10. And I keep thinking, like, a week from now, Earlonne and I could be having dinner outside the prison together (laughter). [4] Its first season began on June 14, 2017. Or is he a good talker? Earlonne is Shala Woods brother. So we're going to strike you out this time. I get to see how they express love and tenderness and fear and frustration and how they posture and what's behind that. No, people get up to a thousand years to life for something that they've done in their past. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three . Everybody we know live the same lifestyle, you know? Earlonne is 5 feet 7 inches tall ( Approx1.7 m). And so I want to play an excerpt of that. He's also co-host of the podcast "Ear Hustle," which is why we had him on this program. So now we're - I mean, we're friends, and we're colleagues. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. He is 49 years old. 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? 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 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. Woods was involved in an attempted robbery in 1997, when he was in his 20s. But we knew that, you know, it's traditional for the governor to do these commutations right before Thanksgiving. And that's pretty much what I did. There's all these restrictions. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. Don't be out there doing no robberies, none of that stuff. FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. You know, he calls me. POOR: And the other thing is we've always - we've tried to always keep this as equal as possible. POOR: OK. E WOODS: Hey - so I always go over to the L - I call them L7s. Nigel Poor is a professor of photography at California State University in Sacramento. He had served 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. 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. And so I want to play the part where you return to ask him that difficult question. 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. 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? 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. 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? And I believe, personally, that that will ease overcrowding because there are a lot of people in prison that deserve to be out. 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. Content Creator @CoinAcademy; Pres. I'm Terry Gross. E WOODS: I, personally, would like to eradicate California's three strikes law because I think that there's a lot of people that's sentenced under this law, which everybody thinks is 25 to life. You start really understanding what the word community means and what your participation in community is about, you know? SHAPIRO: That's Earlonne Woods from the podcast "Ear Hustle." Can I ask how your relationship is changing now that you're both outside? explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. He was born and brought up in the United States to his caring and supportive parents. And so that's the point that I'm struck by - that human beings in a moment can do something with devastating consequences. Like, I take you as the man you are in front of me. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). And at the end of November, Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence. He is now 47. This lady - her name was Claire. GROSS: And - so you interviewed him about commuting your sentence. Earlonne was both host and inmate, but he was released in November after his sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. And I - I observed Earlonne a lot. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. And on their way back to the auntie's house, they were pulled over by Long Beach Police Department - two officers. E WOODS: Right. E WOODS: I think the mentality is more of crime to you is a job. 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. "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. 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. He went up there. GROSS: We talk about the podcast and before we talk about your work together, Earlonne, I want to talk with you about life outside. Nigel first started going to San Quentin as a volunteer teaching photography. And it's all that some of the people that you choose to associate with do, you know? And, like E WOODS: My partners. It looked so good on you. 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. Earlonnes average salary is $61,244 per year. In terms of his romantic life, Park is happily married to his wife in South Korea. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. [13], The term "ear hustle" is prison slang for eavesdropping. Even though you can't do nothing about your past, you just feel embarrassed about even going down that route, even victimizing anybody. Like, what was all this for? Earlonne is busy reporting on re-entry stories and daily life for people who were previously incarcerated, as well as documenting his own experiences. But of course when someone's in prison and the other person's not, there's so many things you can't do. And I hit the floor. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. And they say Tyler just took off running. And we just had such great conversations. Copyright 2019 NPR. And to hear - to take that in and to not be afraid and to not judge a person but to, like, sit with it and think about it and think about this was 30 years ago, like I just - I had to do a lot of work around that. 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. You know, they get to see each other in passing. 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. E WOODS: Yeah, so that's cool. But if we could just talk about it and come to some understanding about what's our responsibility, what's your responsibility? And her son had attended a party. And he's standing in a group. That stuff carries 17 years. E WOODS: Right, right. It instead offers the even more illuminating dialogue of individual prisoners. Tyler had missed a court appearance, so he feared that he would be locked up. So in that case, I didn't dig in. And I was paroled when I was 23, about to turn 24. As of now, he works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator of Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. They dont stay the same people that they were when they committed their crime. It was so kick-back and cool, meaning I take advantage of all these moments now. And at one point, he revealed to me that he had raped quite a few women. Earlonne stands at a height of 5 ft 7 in ( Approx1.7 m). And it has made me - it has made me care about men so much more. POOR: While you're thinking, can I tell you some of the things that are just going through my mind about it? Yeah - the butcher cutters. I actually oddly enjoy being in there. And it just puts you in a whole different space, you know? 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. I don't think I have the vision to see it. POOR: How do we tell stories and leave out that part? Jerry Brown (D) has commuted the prison sentence of Earlonne Woods, whose hit podcast Ear Hustle explores life inside San Quentin State Prison. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. E WOODS: He got a hell of a collection of vinyl. E WOODS: In between prison - when I got out - Tyler had just been born in '94. In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Lexi Mainland wrote "The runaway hit Ear Hustle never takes a broad look at criminal justice policy or employs Voice of God narration. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . And so I found out what you're in prison for. His first book, OG Told Me, is a memoir-style collection of essays about Harshaw's. Kristi Tjaden. 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. Im thinking about my mama, shes 70. I've spent a total of 27 years in prison. What are some of the ways you think you've changed over the years? Woods has served 21 years of a 31 to life prison sentence. I'm on a podcast. 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. Earlonne Woods, co-host of the popular prison podcast Ear Hustle, had his sentence commuted by California Gov. 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. [12] On October 19, 2021, co-hosts Poor and Woods released a book on the podcast, This Is Ear Hustle. Earlonnes estimated net worth is $657,586. That was something that was volunteered to me. And my whole thinking, like, changed in that moment. 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