Digital Stories @ UMBC

Digital STories from Charlestown

The Project

The Charlestown Digital Story Project teams UMBC students with residents of Charlestown Retirement Community to create digital stories. Drawn from the life experiences of the residents, the stories combine narration, animation, photos and music in short movies to be shared with others. Residents work closely with student partners, acting as author and creative director of their individual story. Each student brings their own style and talents to the project, helping to create some unique examples of intergenerational storytelling.

Over fifty stories have been produced to date. In 2007, the project was recognized with a Bronze Telly Award.

The project is organized by the New Media Studio with funding from Retirement Living TV.

View a short feature on the project.

The Stories

Candles for the Wake	Jessie Poole and Joanna Lit
Christmas in England	Mary Hein and Andrew Chang
Crystal 3	Jim Poole and Bill Shewbridge
Families are Forever	Barbara Walker and Jorge Rios
Ivan and Goo Goo	Barbara Kurz and Andrea Olivier
Little Dog Miles	Jerri Mullinex, Andrea Olivier and Cathryna Brown
Magic Dust	Charlotte Valentine and Andrew Chang
My Father's Letter	Tommy Koch and Samantha Duvall
Nun for a Day	Marie Brinsfield and An Nguyen-Gia
Rude Polite	Barbara Kurz and Cathryna Brown
You're Never Too Old	Mary Zotian and Paul Iwancio
A Traveler at Heart	Barbara Walker and An Nguyen-Gia
Mary's Waltz	Jean Singleton and Jorge Rios
My Two Grandsons	Mary Hein and Paul Iwancio
Barn Story	Joan McMann and Cathryna Brown
The Music Box	Marie Brinsfield and Samantha Duvall
Call Me Patsy	Tommy Koch and Andrea Olivier
Arctic Memories	Jim Poole and Joshua Glassman
It's All Because of Aunt Lucy	Tommy Koch and Joanna Lit
The Chocolate Bunny	Jeri Mullinex and Joshua Glassman
All My Life's A Circle	Jean Singleton and Paul Iwancio
Felix and the Cardboard Christmas Tree	Joyce Bathgate and Cathryna Brown
Halloween Past	Betty Hession and Jorge Rios
The Lone Survivors	Jessie Poole and Samantha Duvall
Missing in Action	Jessie Poole and Cathryna Brown
The Dining Room Table	Barbara Kurz and Andrew Chang
Tinsmith or Tailor?	Gloria Mariani and Elana Consoli
The War Effort and I	Mary Zotian and An Nguyen-Gia
The Willow Tree	Regina Service and Elana Consoli
A Year to Remember	Marian Tongier and Samantha Duvall
My Dotage	Charlotte Valentine and Jorge Rios
SPRING, 2011
My Life as a Boy Scout	Barbara Walker and Thomas Conner
Caterpillar Corral	Marie Brinsfield and Abigail Farrara
The Old Farm House	Jeri Mullinix and Josh Cochran
In My Heart I Will Always be a Dancer	Ebbe Saleski and Madeline Smith
An Unexpected Slap	Lloyd Stewart and Keith Blomberg
Girls of the Limberlost	Miriam Tongier and Brandon Callahan
The Little Girl Who Grew Up at Charlestown	Charlotte Valentine and Amanda Winters
FALL, 2011
The Package of Seeds	Marie Brinsfield and Desiree Sterling
Little Furry Hearts	Dawn Strumsky, Alissa Adams and Peter Graham
When Duty Called	John Strumsky and Michael Kantz
My Geography Lesson	John Strumsky and Kevin Ke
Better to Have Tried While You're Still Alive	Gene Langbehn and Nitzen Frock
How a Decision is Made	Suzanne Levitt, Jamie Rusk and Allie O'Malley
A Unique Club	Jeri Mullinex, Benjamin Everhart and Matthew Schneider
Based on a True Story	Phil Mumford, Toby Clevinger and Jasmine Smith
Center of the World	Marion Tongier, Holly Schneider and Jasmine Malhotra
Life is a Series of Transitions	E.J. Urbas and Kevin Pugh
It Takes a Crisis	Charlotte Valntine and Daniel Rodriguez
Comfort in Change	Barbara Walker and Desiree Sterling
Freedom Rocks	Peggy Wixted, Ryan DeVore and Nathaniel Grube
Hurricane Rescue	Glenn Young, Jason Albersheim and Derick Fung