A Podcast that is true ear candy:
Ear Hustle
I first discovered “Ear Hustle” years ago after I had digested (and loved!) Serial, one of the very first podcasts ever created and, what the New York Times argued was, “the medium’s first breakout hit.” Ear Hustle (which is slang for eavesdropping), “brings you the daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration.”
As someone who cares deeply about relationships, community, connection, repairing harm effectively when necessary, and all things Restorative Practices, I am of course fascinated by listening to (and taking a peek inside of) a world that is deeply based on the concepts of retributive justice.
Nigel Poor (a cohost of the show), who helped create the idea for the podcast while working at the San Quentin Prison as a volunteer professor teaching photography as part of The Prison University Project stated, “I wanted to do a project about everyday things, not about crime or sensationalizing what prison is like and how horrible it is,” Poor says. “I’m not a journalist. People’s minds get changed when they hear first-person narratives and they get to look into somebody’s life and see commonality. I learn through connecting with people and I thought, ‘Well, that changed my mind. That’s going to change other people’s minds, too.’ That was really my overarching goal—to use artistic storytelling as a way to connect people and get them to listen.” You can read more in an article HERE.
Here is one Episode #36 “Tell Christy I Love Her,” which does a great job highlighting the power of relationships, sharing story, healing, and effectively repairing harm when it’s caused. Amazing.