The hosts Earlonne Woods, who was incarcerated when Ear Hustle began in 2017, and artist Nigel Poor bring listeners stories from inside San Quentin State Prison. Part insider testimony, part prisoner outreach, the podcast is almost unimpeachable in design and execution, and judging by the quality of its fourth season, it’s not running out of ideas anytime soon. At the core of each episode is a yearning to be free or to belong. “Life Shows Up” introduces Chayne Hampton, who’s about to be released from prison, dreaming about life outside and worrying about what kind of job he’ll land. In “Respect the Paper,” we look at the economy of stamps (one can buy you a coffee) in prison. What’s most shocking about Ear Hustle are the ways in which convicts confront the basest struggles of human existence—the need to be loved, the hunger for food, the right to privacy. Outside of prison, a person writing a letter to a friend is a novelty act. For the people in Ear Hustle, it’s the only way to communicate with loved ones, the only way to stay alive.