“Ear Hustle” Podcast Announces Initiative to Create Audio Storytelling Capabilities at the California Institution for Women (CIW)
“Ear Hustle” is building an audio workspace at CIW in Chino, CA for incarcerated individuals pursuing creative audio. Also continuing to produce stories from San Quentin, “Ear Hustle” launched in 2017 with Radiotopia from PRX as the first podcast produced from prison
Ear Hustle — the podcast created and hosted by Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor, featuring firsthand stories reflecting the realities of incarceration — today announced an initiative to expand audio storytelling possibilities through a partnership with the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California.
With support from the Mellon Foundation, Ear Hustle is now building an audio production space on the CIW premises, overseeing the workspace, and working directly with incarcerated women inside who are interested in pursuing creative audio and podcasting:
Ear Hustle’s audio training program at CIW will feature collaboration with KALW public radio’s Uncuffed, which also helps instruct in digital audio storytelling at San Quentin and at California State Prison, Solano.
Ear Hustle began telling stories out of San Quentin State Prison in 2017 and has since expanded its storytelling to other prisons as well as life after incarceration. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, Ear Hustle is a part of public media organization PRX’s Radiotopia podcast network.
Ear Hustle has also welcomed audio veteran Cat Schuknecht to the team as the podcast’s California Institution for Women Senior Producer. In this new role, Schuknecht will help implement elements of audio training at the women’s prison, focusing on areas such as building stories, the intricacies of interviewing, and production. Schuknecht teaches podcasting at Loyola Marymount University and has served on podcast teams including Gimlet Media’s Crime Show, NPR’s Hidden Brain, and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
“This has been in the works for quite a while, so it’s thrilling to see this project coming to fruition,” said Nigel Poor of Ear Hustle. “A few weeks ago, we were at CIW setting up the podcast studio with all new equipment, and we had the opportunity to address the community and introduce them to the program we’ll be offering. We’re also thrilled to welcome Cat Schuknecht to our team, who will be spearheading the new training program. Things are looking great, and we’re ready for more women’s voices in the new season of episodes ahead.”
“Finally, these women will have a platform to express themselves beyond the prison walls,” said Ear Hustle’s Earlonne Woods. “As a person who spent a total of 27 years inside, I never heard from incarcerated women, as if their voices didn’t exist. Now they get to showcase their storytelling abilities to the world.”
Episodes of Ear Hustle have been downloaded more than 80.5 million times. Listeners tune in from across the United States and around the world, including from inside prisons in America and Europe. This new initiative now builds off recent reporting trips to CIW and creates an avenue for more women-centered stories to be heard on the podcast while providing increased support, training, and mentorship to incarcerated community members. Ear Hustle has recently featured stories from women incarcerated at CIW in episodes regarding the experience of aging, the act of claiming personal privacy, and aspects of life inside.
Front row: Cat, Kelly McEvers, Earlonne. Back row: Nigel, Eli Wirtschafter, Chi Cannon, Lt William Newborg, Bruce.
“We thank the Mellon Foundation for helping to make it possible for Ear Hustle to expand its team, capabilities, and impact through storytelling and training,” said Audrey Mardavich, Executive Producer of Radiotopia from PRX.
Praised by The New York Times “for bringing a different perspective to the issue of mass incarceration” and by This American Life’s Ira Glass as “vivid, unpretentious, and entertaining,” the Ear Hustle’s efforts have been lauded by The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, CBS Sunday Morning, and beyond. Through sound-rich story collection, interviews, and reporting, episodes range from grappling with a life sentence to trying to parent via 15-minute phone calls. Visit earhustlesq.com for episodes and additional resources, including visual art, original music, and lesson plans for high school students.
Ear Hustle will also continue to regularly present stories from San Quentin. A new season of the podcast begins in September:
About Radiotopia from PRX
Created in 2014, Radiotopia from PRX is the first network of its kind. As a network of independent podcasts, Radiotopia empowers audio creators with the artistic freedom to thrive on their own terms and to bring audiences inspired, high-quality, and well-crafted soundscapes. Programming from across Radiotopia has received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the Tribeca Festival, and the Pulitzer Prizes. Radiotopia has also been named one of the most innovative companies in media by “Fast Company” and was named network of the year in the inaugural “Adweek” Podcast of The Year Awards.
Immerse yourself in stories and conversations of all kinds — intellectual and emotional, real and imagined, entertaining and thought-provoking. Be part of a community that values bold authenticity and boundless creativity. Discover award-winning audio with vision at Radiotopia.fm.
