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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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. 
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Stories in a Box

7 Minute Stories | E:43
A drawer full of written stories reveal something about my grandfather I never knew…
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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... 
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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. 
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Dream

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