Denison’s “Stories on the Hill” club began this fall under the leadership of first-year student Genevieve Pfister who, pre-pandemic, regularly volunteered at her local assisted living facility reading some of her favorite books to residents on the memory loss floor. COVID forced her to re-imagine continuing her project so she turned to video recording her readings so the residents could still watch and listen.
Genevieve carried her passion to Denison this fall and with the help of DCA and CLIC, formed “Stories on the Hill,” whose mission is to engage and entertain members of the community during this time, especially senior citizens and other individuals who are experiencing particularly high levels of isolation, in a way that is also fun and engaging for volunteers.
Using a variety of reading and recording methods including zoom uploads to YouTube so that viewers can see both the reader and the e-text/illustrations of the book side-by-side, the club of ten or so Denison students has recorded approximately 18 readings this semester, including one live reading of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
The latest project for Stories on the Hill is a family-friendly reading of the classic Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” premiering December 16 on YouTube.
For more information on receiving the recordings, or for students interested in joining the club, contact Genevieve Pfister at pfiste_g1@denison.edu.
A Live Reading of “A Christmas Carol”
