This Is Ear Hustle

“A Prison University Project professor and a formerly incarcerated man bring together evocative first-person accounts from those who previously served in prison and those who remain there today in a starkly honest series of conversations.”—Newsweek

“In this unforgettable book, Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods, and a range of fascinating people generously share their prison stories, inviting readers to understand human struggle in an inhumane system via humor, contemplation, and community.”—Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black
 
“This Is Ear Hustle is a jewel. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are gifted storytellers, and their ability to draw intimate, authentic stories out of others is extraordinary. 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 Hustle because it doesn’t travel on the surface of the prison experience but dives deep into the humanity and transformation of those behind the walls with raw and authentic representation of the real San Quentin. Nigel and Earlonne find a way to take a world that is invisible to most and make it relatable to everyday life through stories of love, joy, family, and resilience—with a magical sense of hope.”—Scott Budnick, film producer and founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition

“The gift of the Ear Hustle podcast is that it’s just as revelatory for people who’ve done a bid as it is for those who have no idea what hearing a cell door closing really feels like. This Is Ear Hustle is the bildungsroman of one of the most influential pieces of art, broadcast journalism, and reportage to ever come out of a prison. Nigel and Earlonne have created a soundscape that is as inventive as it is provocative, and their book shows why we ear hustle, and why, somehow, sometimes, it makes us feel like we were there.”—Reginald Dwayne Betts, author of Felon

“I’m a big fan of these two angels of the radio, Earlonne and Nigel, whose dreamy collaboration, a conversation I love to listen in on, gives me joy and amusement, and also: hope.”—Rachel Kushner, author of The Hard Crowd and The Mars Room