7 Minute Stories Go to 7 Minute Stories

A lot can happen in 7 minutes...

Storyteller Aaron Calafato uses 7 minute vignettes to share his memories, explore his psyche and attempt to make sense of the world.

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All Episodes

My Way on the Highway

7 Minute Stories | E:53
A story spanning three generations, guided by the sounds of Frank Sinatra and Eric Clapton, all culminating with an emotional tirade at a local coffee establishment.
Listen to My Way on the Highway

Guest Storyteller: Dennis Kucinich

7 Minute Stories | E:52
In 2018, Dennis Kucinich was running to become the next Governor of Ohio. During that busy campaign, I sat down with him for an interview. This special episode of 7ms features the most compelling 7 minutes from that conversation.
Listen to Guest Storyteller: Dennis Kucinich

Barnes & Noble: A Love Story

7 Minute Stories | E:51
Why do the places where we spend our time mean so much to us? In this story, I explain how a trip to a local Barnes & Noble with my girlfriend became a launching pad for our love story.
Listen to Barnes & Noble: A Love Story

Special 50th Episode

7 Minute Stories | E:50
This episode breaks format a bit & features a 21 minute conversation between my girlfriend & life partner Cori Birce and I.
Listen to Special 50th Episode

Jump on the Roof

7 Minute Stories | E:49
This story is about an intriguing man named Ernie. I met him in the summer of 2000 while working a summer job. Our chance meeting gave me insight into his tragic past, helped me overcome a secret fear and would ultimately impact both our lives forever.
Listen to Jump on the Roof

Me, Paul Harvey and the Farmer

7 Minute Stories | S:1 E:48
After a turbulent few weeks in America, I took a long drive to search for answers. What I discovered rejuvenated my faith in mankind.
Listen to Me, Paul Harvey and the Farmer

That's Not My Friend Anymore

7 Minute Stories | E:47
Standing over a friend’s casket triggers an internal struggle about consciousness and the soul.
Listen to That's Not My Friend Anymore

Remember His Face

7 Minute Stories | E:46
After crossing paths with a homeless man, a chance conversation leaves us both changed forever.
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Special Guest: okPANTS

7 Minute Stories | E:45
During this 7 minute segment, the artist & creative okPANTS, talks about what motivates him to make a life out of making art.
Listen to Special Guest: okPANTS

Where do the memories go?

7 Minute Stories | E:44
Where do our memories go after we die? To navigate this question, I explore two very personal memories and then speculate where they may exist outside my own brain. 
Listen to Where do the memories go?

Stories in a Box

7 Minute Stories | E:43
A drawer full of written stories reveal something about my grandfather I never knew…
Listen to Stories in a Box

Guest Storyteller: Van Jones

7 Minute Stories | E:42
For this special 4th of July episode, I’d like to share a 7 minute segment from an interview I did with Van Jones in 2017. I thought it was compelling because the crux of our conversation still speaks to the current state of division we find ourselves in as Americans.
Listen to Guest Storyteller: Van Jones

The Crayon Emergency

7 Minute Stories
The story of how boy’s curiosity and love of crayons ended in a medical mystery that bewildered an entire emergency room.
Listen to The Crayon Emergency

Guest Storyteller: Nina Domingue

7 Minute Stories | E:40
In this 7 minute segment I talk with actor, director, playwright & educator Nina Domingue. In it, Nina investigates how the beginning of her artistic journey triggered an experience of self-discovery.
Listen to Guest Storyteller: Nina Domingue

The Lockout

7 Minute Stories | E:39
One moment is was a beautiful Fall day, the next, my two-year-old daughter was trapped inside our house. It was a day that would defy logic and define me as a father…
Listen to The Lockout

Special Delivery

7 Minute Stories | E:38
A wasp attack, the morning of 9/11 and an anthrax scare. This was just my first few weeks of college and my initiation into the real world... 
Listen to Special Delivery

TCBY: A Love Story

7 Minute Stories | E:37
The story of how my journey to find a rare frozen yogurt flavor gave me another chance at love.
Listen to TCBY: A Love Story

Guest Storyteller: Shannon Cason

7 Minute Stories | E:36
This episode features the first official guest to the 7ms Podcast. During this 7 minute segment I talk with fellow storyteller Shannon Cason. We dive into Shannon’s creative process, what inspires some of his stories and something we hope the storytelling art form can adopt in future.
Listen to Guest Storyteller: Shannon Cason

Mumford's Son

7 Minute Stories | E:35
The tale of how a hazardous live storytelling performance and a chance intersection with a popular musical group taught me how to truly connect with my audience.
Listen to Mumford's Son

The Pale Blue Dot

7 Minute Stories | E:34
After finding out the Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy are on a collision course, I nearly panicked. But then, after some serendipitous inspiration from the great Carl Sagan, I made a discovery I had to share with one of the most important people on earth...
Listen to The Pale Blue Dot

The Yellow Bird

7 Minute Stories | E:33
The story of how a little yellow bird taught me life lessons about mortality, perseverance and grace.
Listen to The Yellow Bird

The Backseat

7 Minute Stories | E:32
A broken family. The backseat of a car. No control. Sometimes, during a difficult transition, an unlikely hero will emerge to help you see it through.
Listen to The Backseat

The Hunter

7 Minute Stories | E:31
Thousands of years ago, humans explored uncharted terrain as hunters and gatherers. Now, in the year 2019, I come face to face with an equally daunting task…
Listen to The Hunter

Me and Gary V

7 Minute Stories | E:30
When I looked down at my phone, I saw that Gary Vaynerchuck's account liked one of my comments on Instagram. What happened next would send me into a spiral of excitement, regret and reflection. 
Listen to Me and Gary V

The Guitar God

7 Minute Stories | E:29
A quest to become the greatest rock guitar player on the planet all culminates into one life-altering audition.
Listen to The Guitar God

The Injury

7 Minute Stories | E:28
What started out as an exceptional day on the basketball court ended in a hilarious trip the to the emergency room... 
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We Are All Witnesses

7 Minute Stories | E:27
What started out as a heated religious debate between two kids on an elementary school playground, turned into an attack from an unusual suspect... 
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Becoming Donatello

7 Minute Stories | E:26
It was 1990, I was 7 years old and I was anticipating the release of greatest film ever made: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not only this, but I actually believed I was a turtle and had every intention to reveal my true identity to an elementary school crush...
Listen to Becoming Donatello

The Train Incident

7 Minute Stories | E:25
On a bright Fall day in 2009, what started out as usual train commute from Eatontown, New Jersey to Manhattan, transformed into a crime scene.
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Chinatown

7 Minute Stories | E:24
When I got a call from Jack Nicholson’s executive assistant at 1:00am in the morning, It felt like a “surreal” experience...
Listen to Chinatown

The Tryout

7 Minute Stories | E:23
Years of commitment and preparation led me to this moment. What started as a tryout for my middle school basketball team, transformed into an experience that would shape my entire career.
Listen to The Tryout

The Lineup

7 Minute Stories | E:22
When I was 10 years old I spent a summertime at a makeshift daycare. One afternoon there, while playing Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out on NES, I committed an unintentional crime which was followed by a memorable interrogation.
Listen to The Lineup

The Fish

7 Minute Stories | E:21
At the age of 5 I watched a BBC documentary about the life of fish in the ocean. Days later, I witnessed what I can only describe as a ghost appear in my bedroom. Both experiences united to form an existential crisis that would shape my future…
Listen to The Fish

The Night-Night Rules

7 Minute Stories | E:20
I don’t know if it was divine intervention or just coincidence, but whatever it was, it gave me the strength to make a promise to my daughter that I don’t intend on breaking…
Listen to The Night-Night Rules

The Gun

7 Minute Stories | E:19
When I was 13 years old I went to visit a new friend. Before going out to play in the woods he took out a gun. What happened next felt life and death…
Listen to The Gun

The Dream

7 Minute Stories | E:18
The night my grandfather slipped into a coma, he came to me in a profound dream…
Listen to The Dream

The Blizzard

7 Minute Stories | E:17
It was the early 90s and I was a pre-teen. I was in sitting in my grandparents car and the weather outside started to change in a way I had never seen. As we started our drive from Columbus to Cleveland I knew the odds were not in our favor…
Listen to The Blizzard

Lady of Maine

7 Minute Stories | E:16
How much do I love storytelling? Well, it was 2012 and I was booked to perform one of my monologues at a theater in Portland, Maine. The only catch was I had to drive nearly 16 hours and endure one of the most unsettling nights of my life.
Listen to Lady of Maine

Over the River

7 Minute Stories | E:15
I looked at the world differently when I was a child. But when did things change? I remember it was the mid 90s and I went to visit my grandmother in rural Ohio. Her only rule was that I didn’t ride my bike past the gray house…
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The Ice Cream Sandwich

7 Minute Stories | E:14
The second grade. An elementary lunch room. A purple silk shirt. A blossoming new love. History would be made as I courted an older woman for the first time…
Listen to The Ice Cream Sandwich

The Cherry Tree

7 Minute Stories | E:13
The myth of George Washington and the cherry tree made an big impression on my life. But as a young boy, when a police officer caught me vandalizing a house in my neighborhood, the impact of that myth would be put to the test.
Listen to The Cherry Tree

The Amish

7 Minute Stories | E:12
I sat at a traffic light and looked at the world falling apart around me. So, I turned my car around and drove until all I saw was corn fields and the Amish. I had found a new possibility. Maybe even a new home.
Listen to The Amish

The Phone Call

7 Minute Stories | E:11
I was 30 years old when my daughter was born. Shortly after, I received a phone call from my dad that forecast what the next 30 years may be like.
Listen to The Phone Call

The Fight

7 Minute Stories | E:10
When I was younger I fought a lot. This time, however, felt different than the rest. I was in over my head and would experience the true power, utility and lasting effect of violence.
Listen to The Fight

The Perfect Day

7 Minute Stories | E:9
I woke up and something was different. From the moment I opened my eyes it seemed like it would be one of those days where nothing could go wrong. Was I right? Or, was this all a dream?
Listen to The Perfect Day

The Nest

7 Minute Stories | E:8
It was the largest yellow jacket nest I've ever come across. It was man versus nature and I had to protect my home...
Listen to The Nest

Growing Up in the Rearview

7 Minute Stories | E:7
This episode explores the journey of driving my daughter home from the hospital after she was born and then through years of car rides looking into the rear-view mirror and seeing all the stages of her life.
Listen to Growing Up in the Rearview

Emails to My Dead Grandfather

7 Minute Stories | E:6
My grandfather and I were very close. One day, several years after he passed away, I saw that his gmail account profile was active. So, I decided to email him...
Listen to Emails to My Dead Grandfather

The Thirty-Five Year Train Ride

7 Minute Stories | E:5
For the last thirty five years I've heard the sound of a train out my window. It's seems that I've been following it my entire life.
Listen to The Thirty-Five Year Train Ride

The Summer of Peter Jennings

7 Minute Stories | E:4
A remixed version of a story Aaron did during the 2016 Presidential Election that is more relevant that ever.
Listen to The Summer of Peter Jennings

The Audition

7 Minute Stories | E:3
After getting off a train at Penn Station and taking in New York City for the first time, I began the odyssey of my first acting audition at the Actors Equity Center.
Listen to The Audition

The Car Accident and the Crucifix

7 Minute Stories | E:2
In episode two I explore a recent car accident I was involved in.
Listen to The Car Accident and the Crucifix

The Cruise

7 Minute Stories | E:1
Welcome to episode one of #7minutestories! A young man who is afraid of boats takes his first carnival cruise shortly after Hurricane Katrina rips through the Gulf coast.
Listen to The Cruise

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