BARCO —Storyteller Donna Washington proved that her craft has not become a lost art as some may believe.

About 40 children and adults attended a session Sunday to hear stories by Washington, a resident of Durham. The event was sponsored by the Currituck Arts Council and held at the Barco branch of the Currituck County Library.

One of Sunday's attendees, Marion Dannert, said she was impressed with Washington's performance.

"What you do is filling such a gap in our culture," Dannert told Washington.

Many of the stories Washington told were taken from her real-life experiences growing up with her parents and six siblings. Washington's father was in the military and the family lived in many states and several countries.

Washington also said that she derives some of her stories from folklore, talking to friends, and from stories she reads on the Internet, such as the one she told about a revengeful wife called "A Woman Scorned."

"Every story I tell is true except for the parts I make up," Washington said.

A lot of her stories are geared toward both children and adults, such as "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach" and "The Monkey's Heart."

Washington also has written several books including, "A Big Spooky House" and "A Pride of African Tales."

Washington, who is a wife, mother, author and storyteller, said she performs about seven months out of the year. She added that she especially enjoys visiting schools and telling her stories to children because she fears television is replacing the way children and adults communicate.

Currituck Librarian Vicky Hagemeister said she believes Washington's visit was the library's first ever by a professional storyteller.

"It (the performance) was enjoyable and different," said Currituck Arts Council president Bryan Bass.

Washington said that she has been telling stories ever since she graduated from Chicago's Northwestern University, 20 years ago.