“It’s not for the faint of heart.”

Though that is not a usual statement made when refering to a library event, it is exactly what Stephanie Holman said.

Holman, a 20-year veteraned storyteller from Monroe County, will be entertaining teens and adults with her scary ghost stories Thursday from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the Washington Carnegie Public Library.

As a student in library school at Indiana University, Holman’s storytelling class visited a school in the Washington area to practice storytelling in a classroom setting at a Halloween party.

“I fell in love with telling stories that night due to the interest and great reaction from the kids,” Holman said.

Since then, Holman has joined the Bloomington Storytellers Guild, Storytelling Arts of Indiana and National Storytelling Network. In addition to telling weekly for her job as a Children’s Librarian at the Monroe County Public Library, she travels across the state of Indiana telling stories to people of all ages.

“Storytelling is a performance art. Some come more naturally to it than others, but I believe everyone has to practice and prepare to some degree,” Holman said and encouraged novice storytellers not to memorize the story.

“That’s not they way,” she said. “I see it like a movie in my head, and I convey it. It comes out a little different every time, which is why it is storytelling.”

Holman, who tells several times a month, believes “the most important part of the story process is the selection of the story.”

After she selects a story, she rewrites it a bit to match her own style making sure she feels comfortable with the story.

Holman said individuals can expect to hear a mixture of old folktales and moderns stories Thursday night.

“Some stories feature spooky atmosphere while others feature gory details and eerie settings,” she said.

Keep in mind this program is adult-geared. Some content may be too scary for those under 13 years of age. Anyone interesed in attending is encouraged to register by visiting or calling the library at 300 W. Main St. or 254-4586.