Ear Hustle

We’re between seasons but have an exciting update to share with listeners: Our friend and colleague Rahsaan “New York” Thomas’ prison sentence has been commuted by California Governor Gavin Newsom. What does this mean for Rahsaan’s release from San Quentin?

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

While Ear Hustle works on its next season, which starts March 2, we wanted to introduce you to the podcast Written Off. It features formerly incarcerated young writers talking about their journeys and creative processes. In this episode, host Walter Thompson-Hernández talks with writer Candice Price, and actor Keke Palmer performs one of Price’s pieces.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact one of the resources below for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor anytime:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text line: Text “Connect” to 741-741

The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

This past fall, we followed a group of kids into Salinas Valley State Prison to spend two days with their dads, whom they hadn’t seen in years. Through music, crafts, and games, the idea behind Camp Grace is to put aside prison personas and reconnect with fatherhood. But relationships strained by incarceration can be hard to fix.

Find out more about Camp Grace here.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

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. 

Earlier this year, some of the Ear Hustle team spent a month living under a specific set of constraints informed by the daily routines of our inside colleagues, changing the way we ate, got dressed, and exercised. The goal wasn’t to replicate prison life, but to see how constraint shapes the way we experience the world. We report back on what was hard, what was surprising, and what we discovered along the way.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Sports in prison are more than just games. They can be an outlet for stress, the realization of dreams deferred, or a positive way to prove oneself to peers and family. In this episode, one player battles for acceptance and a spot on the San Quentin baseball team, a two-time Super Bowl champion goes from partying with the Patriots to living in a 5x9 cell, and resident sports reporter Rahsaan “New York” Thomas attempts to win a one-on-one basketball game on behalf of all the nerds.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

Going to prison in your home country can be disorienting enough. What about when you’re new to the culture, don’t speak the language, and are thousands of miles from family and friends? Three Americans describe their experiences of incarceration in Japan, Thailand, and Iran.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

What does it take to be bonnaroo in prison? We explore the creative ways people inside transform and beautify their physical selves and their living environment, using whatever they can find within prison walls.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

At Ear Hustle, we hear more from listeners about music than almost any other topic. In response, we bring you the Ear Hustle Mixtape, including stories about an unlikely instrument that’s been showing up on the yard at San Quentin, Native American sweat lodges and music, and getting the band back together post-incarceration.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

We bring you stories about the ups and downs of making bail and the bittersweet taste of freedom when you know you’re about to lose it. Plus: Nigel confronts a man with no regrets, and Ear Hustle says goodbye to a friend of the show.

To find out more about the Ear Hustle 30-Day Challenge, and to participate with us, visit earhustlesq.com/challenge.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

August 21, 1971 was the deadliest day in San Quentin history, and it’s still a painful topic, both inside the prison and out. At the center of the story was a Black revolutionary named George Jackson. Who was he, and what makes him so controversial, even today?

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Acting Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Find a full list of episode credits at earhustlesq.com.

More on George Jackson and the Adjustment Center incident:

Freedom Archives’ 99 Books project

50th anniversary article by Kevin Sawyer, an editor at the San Quentin News

“Soledad Brother” 40 years later

“Day of the Gun” documentary from Bay Area news station KRON4

Making Contact’s radio documentary “The Struggle Inside”

New York Times narrative of August 21st

Los Angeles Times looks back at the day, and the trial of the San Quentin Six

British documentary about the weeks after August 21, 1971

Dick Nelson remembers August 21st, 1971