He is 5 feet 7 inches tall ( Approx1.7 m). 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. WOODS: That's something that a lot of us behind bars fantasize about - getting out and leading a normal life. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR, and if you're just joining us, my guests are Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. And so being in prison has just really altered that. And I hit the floor. Do you usually know what somebody is in for and do you ask, or is that considered wrong to ask? 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? I took their security from them to even walk out the house and feel safe, you know? Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). I'm not doing this. Earlonne holds an American nationality and white ethnicity. 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. And I think - I didn't - I didn't become accustomed to the lifestyle of working or having a job, you know? It looked so good on you. 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. You're more looking at what you're getting out of the situation. Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted armed robbery. And I have a lot of friends that's in prison that has 200 years, 300 years to life for maybe attempted second-degree robbery. And you really get a better understanding of your impact that you've personally had on people in society. GROSS: And, Earlonne, I look forward to your interviews with people who, like you, are transitioning back into society from prison. And he said the thing that all women fear is that I raped women because I could. [16] In 2021, Woods and Poor co-authored the book This Is Ear Hustle. But I just - just took a course that was - seemed cool to me at the time. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). [3], Woods completed his General Educational Development in prison, as well as vocational courses such as auto mechanics. Their tenth season finished airing in December 2022. So, yeah. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College, and completed many vocational programs. [1][2] Since his release, Woods has continued to co-host the podcast with Poor from outside prison, with Poor recording some parts in San Quentin with new co-host Rahsaan "New York" Thomas. And he's standing in a group. Author, Project Leader of CHOOSE1 Opinions are my own linktr.ee/Earlonnewoods Posts Reels Videos Tagged Show More Posts from earlonnewoods Woods is expected to be released on parole in the coming days, after serving 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. I don't think I have the vision to see it. In 1997, he was sentenced to 31-years-to-life in prison. I'd still be sitting in San Quentin in a cell with my brother. He had served 21 years of a 31-years-to-life sentence. It was other people telling, you know, their stories about being robbed or losing a child, losing a loved one. I realized that he had a really intense work ethic that matched my own and that we just really got along. And my whole thinking, like, changed in that moment. GROSS: So this gets back to something you were just saying. The prison also went on lockdown during production, halting work and requiring additional administrative steps to both create and release the audio. What's it like to not think about that? Some might say that Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods were destined to meet. And I just said, when you come back, you're going to be almost a free man. Earlonne stands at a height of 5 ft 7 in ( Approx1.7 m). Earlonne was both host and inmate, but he was released in November after his sentence was commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California . Like, what was all this for? And then the question is, well, what do we do about that? So even though I'm hearing stuff and then I'm talking to him, he playing - he downplaying it. Why am I doing this? GROSS: A job because you thought it was, like, your only source of income? I was hoping I could talk to you a little bit about it. And they - and I received 31 years to life. WOODS: It's unrealistic, but I think about just getting out of San Quentin, jumping in the water and swimming to my yacht and going around the world. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor: This Is Ear Hustle Some might say that Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods were destined to meet. And, you know, I pretty much raised - because my brother was locked up. Ear Hustle was selected from 1,537 submissions, securing the funding for a 10-episode first season. The podcast team announced Tuesday that it will hire Woods as an employee on the show. It was like 2 in the morning. But yeah, I can't. 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, which features interviews with men incarcerated in San Quentin Prison about their daily lives and their personal stories. Woods never used the drug, though became addicted to the money and lifestyle selling it provided. "[9] She also praised its originality, "[using] prisoners' storytelling skills to show what it's like to spend decades behind bars. I'm Terry Gross. But if we could just talk about it and come to some understanding about what's our responsibility, what's your responsibility? So right now there would be a problem with me going back to see him because I'm currently on parole. Redmond O'Neal is the son of American actor Ryan O'Neal and Farah Fawcett (an America. You feel invincible in some ways. Earlonne Woods is the co-creator, co-host, and co-producer of Ear Hustle (PRX & Radiotopia). What was your reaction when you found out? 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. At the time, your brother and your nephew's mother, Tyra, were living what you describe as a life of crime together. And, you know, we was clowning on the phone. Like, he just seemed lighter and shiny and fresh. (SOUNDBITE OF JOHN COLTRANE'S "OUT OF THIS WORLD"). He is a podcast host correspondent. So for me internally, I started my change. They had left the auntie's house. Here you guys are, poking and - poking and prodding. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Lana Wolf, Eric Marcus, Robert Marawa, Who is Redmond ONeal? Even after Woods is out on parole in Oakland, California, Ear Hustle said that it will continue, with Poor telling more tales from those inside San Quentin and Woods talking about the journey to re-enter society after years behind bars. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I know what's happening today and right now. [14] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Poor said the show is "about everyday life inside a prison. GROSS: And you basically just described your own situation when you were incarcerated because you got 31 to life for attempted second-degree robbery. So you look at the time wasted, and you look at, man, if I knew better or I should've did better. You're sitting across from politicians. 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. Ive been taking showers for like 20 years.. [3] After two rounds of judging, Ear Hustle was selected as the winner and added to the Radiotopia network. But to hear the very next day that he was killed - and my mother is who told me. It was the first podcast to be entirely created and produced inside a prison. This piece has been updated with news of Woods hiring onto the podcast team. GROSS: Earlonne, what's the custom among men in San Quentin? In November 2018, Woods' sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. It didn't work out, unfortunately. And they won't get that opportunity to present the person that they are today. Earlonne Woods, co-host of the popular prison podcast Ear Hustle, had his sentence commuted by California Gov. Earlonne Woods was born in the United States in 1972. Namcy Wong. And as time went on, as years went on, I stuck to my guns. And it was one of the restore justice symposiums. And it was very hard for that to not change the way I felt about him. And at the end of November, Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence. SHAPIRO: When you said goodbye to him, were you crying? [5][15] In 2020, alongside Poor and co-host Rahsaan Thomas, Woods was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. I pretty much raised Tyler from '95 to '97, when I got arrested. I've changed my life. That stuff carries 17 years. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor started the podcast Ear Hustle when Woods was a prisoner in San Quentin. SHAPIRO: Nigel Poor told us that when Earlonne Woods came back POOR: He was walking with a lot of air in his step. I got out, stayed out two years, 10 months and found myself back in jail for attempted second-degree robbery. While incarcerated, he received his GED, attended Coastline Community College and completed many vocational trade programs. Don't be - whatever you do, don't play with no guns. "[9] The show's unique lens and intimate first-person storytelling is noted in most reviews. Wake up to the day's most important news. And that's pretty much what I did. But then someone will research you and be like, did they just feed me a bunch of bull [expletive]. [3] According to The Economist, by this time Woods was one of the most famous incarcerated people in the US. Earlonne Woods was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. E WOODS: He got a hell of a collection of vinyl. Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods are gifted storytellers, and their ability to draw intimate, authentic stories out of others is extraordinary. He is a man of average height. [2], Woods first went to prison at 17 for two concurrent convictions of kidnapping and robbing a drug dealer, and was released at 23. He likes to keep his personal life private hence Earlonne has not mentioned any details concerning his marital status. We will update you once we have more information about Earlonnes marital status. [8][9] Poor is a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay area who volunteers at the prison. Earlonne Woods was released from San Quentin in November after his sentence was commuted by Governor Jerry Brown. POOR: What are some of the things you think about when you fantasize about your life when you're out? But the law don't see your rehabilitation. POOR: But I get to see his brother and catch him up on what you're doing. You have to wear the same clothes all the time. I was a clerk. It's something. But the things that you do in your past do add dimension to who you are in this moment. 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. He also founded CHOOSE1, which aims to repeal the California Three . Earlonne is a brother to Shala Woods. 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. POOR: You know, a kind of joy I never really experienced before - I mean, it's - you know, to be so happy for him and being in prison and not wanting to cry (laughter) - you know, trying to hold it together. 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. Earlonne was born in 1972, in the United States. He works as a full-time producer, co-host, and co-creator with Ear Hustle at PRX alongside Nigel Poor. Woods helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Eventually, the marriage fell apart. E WOODS: (Laughter) Not no time soon, no. E WOODS: Well, I mean, it's cool, you know? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 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? In November 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne's sentence after 21 years of . Redmond O'Neal is a voice actor, Hollywood celebrity, and Star Kid from the United States. He running with these hard heads. And Nigel is also a professor of photography at California State University. And I'm like - I'm telling my son, son, look. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 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. But on the second term after - once you receive a life sentence, there's no guarantee that you'll ever be released from prison. Therefore, it is not known if Earlonne is single, dating, or married. Part of HuffPost News. [9], On November 21, 2018, producer Earlonne Woods's sentence was commuted by California governor Jerry Brown. "[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. In 1997, Earlonne was sentenced to thirty-one years to life in prison. GROSS: My guests are Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods, the creators and hosts of the podcast Ear Hustle about life inside San Quentin Prison. I don't know if it's a lake. [7] Woods relocated to Oakland, California after his release, and was hired full-time as a producer and co-host of Ear Hustle. POOR: And it's going to be a little bit hard. Who is Kourtney Kellar? So Earlonne, let me ask you about ways you think you've changed since you were a teenager and were first put in prison. I'd rather not know. It's a job. When I called my mother, she told me this, right? In 2018, California governor Jerry Brown commuted Earlonne Woods' sentence, citing Ear Hustle as a significant contributor to his reformation as an American citizen. - like, was with him pretty much every day. Behind 'Ear Hustle,' The Podcast Made In Prison. 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. [3][4] In 1997, at the age of 25, he was arrested for attempted second degree robbery. 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? He says, I need to speak with you. GROSS: That was Governor Jerry Brown interviewed by my guests Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. [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. Earlonne Woods is the cocreator, coproducer, and cohost of the Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle. His net worth is estimated to be $657,586. He is 49 years old. But you may have the African-Americans who go to prison and they're at certain places and you don't get that question. POOR: You get a lot of calls from guys at San E WOODS: I get a lot of 15-minute calls from prison. Instead of me representing it, Earlonne and I can represent it together. 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