At ten years old, Aaron Calafato was certain he was practically a grown man. Then he stepped into the wave pool at Geauga Lake.On a scorching summer day at the Ohio amusement park, Aaron ignores his mom’s advice and heads for deeper water. What follows is a terrifying, unexpectedly funny lesson in growing up, getting in over your head, and needing your mom.Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In Partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠⁠⁠Series Original Scores & Sound Design by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Echo Finch

A childhood landmark disappears, an empty parking lot fills with seagulls, and years later a father and daughter turn the ruins of a Super Kmart into something unexpectedly magical. A story about memory, change, and the strange little places that become part of a family’s history.

Why does fall make us wish we could stop time? A cool morning, coffee on the porch, and leaves crunching underfoot become an invitation to feel like a kid again. In this Shortwave Stories episode, Aaron celebrates the small rituals of autumn and the bittersweet feeling of wanting a season to last forever.Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠⁠⁠⁠Special Original Scores & Sound Design by thomas j. dukeIn Partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠

A childhood home. A hallway birdcage. A blue bird, a yellow bird, and a kid trying to make sense of the tiny world fluttering in front of him.In this Shortwave Story, Aaron remembers the strange little ecosystem of his early life: a house full of birds, a family that changes shape after divorce, a porch that briefly becomes a kind of paradise, and a Siamese cat named Shadow who reminds everyone that nature does not care about house rules.But years later, the bird Aaron liked the least becomes the one he remembers most.What begins as a funny story about a cranky yellow bird turns into a quiet meditation on freedom, survival, and the first-time death feels close enough to hold in your hands.Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠⁠Original Scores & Sound Design by ⁠⁠⁠Echo Finch⁠⁠In Partnership with ⁠⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠

When Aaron learns that his childhood friend Justin has lost his dad, a memory of an old French film leads him back to a childhood belief that balloons might be able to carry more than we think. What follows is a story about friendship, hope, and the things we send out hoping they somehow find their way.Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠⁠Original Scores & Sound Design by ⁠⁠⁠Echo Finch⁠⁠In Partnership with ⁠⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠

What if you had access to a test that could guarantee a happy ending to your love story?In “The Door Test,” Aaron Calafato looks back on a difficult period of divorce and his search for answers about love. Hoping to find clarity, he reenacts a famous relationship test from the movie A Bronx Tale. But can a scene from a movie help make sense of real life?Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠⁠Original Scores & Sound Design by ⁠⁠⁠Echo Finch⁠⁠In Partnership with ⁠⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠

Could a toy microphone from 1990 be the reason Aaron Calafato is telling stories on the radio today?At seven years old, Aaron arrives at his dad’s unfamiliar new apartment after his parents’ divorce. Inside an otherwise empty bedroom, he discovers a Fisher-Price karaoke recorder and begins making cassette tapes with his brother, inventing radio shows and telling stories beneath the blankets at night. What begins as a way to fill something he cannot yet name becomes a lifelong calling—and gives rise to a childhood belief in a secret antenna that might carry his voice to someone listening far away.Original Stories Written & Performed by⁠ Aaron Calafato ⁠Original Scores & Sound Design by ⁠⁠Echo Finch⁠In Partnership with ⁠WYSU 88.5FM ⁠