Celebration of Authors is sponsored by WINTRUST BANK
Purchase Tickets!
It’s both our annual gala AND a family-friendly, interactive festival!
Silent Auction! Games! Food + Drinks! Open Bar for adult guests! 360 Photo Booth! And of course, LIVE performances of stories written by our students for the 2024/25 School Year!
Attire: Fancy Schmancy where you can come Fancy – dressed to the nines in your best attire. Or you can come Schmancy – with a silly hat or funny outfit that expresses YOU!
You can bid on our amazing Silent Auction Prizes at the event, or remotely from anywhere! Silent Auction items include: A Trip to Mexico with Vidanta Resorts, A Sailing Excursion, An At-Home Dungeons & Dragons Session, Dining Packages, Sports Tickets, Theatre Tickets, and MORE! Stay tuned for a preview and get those bids ready!
This is the most affordable & most FUN Gala in town!
Tickets include food, drinks, a show, and activities for all ages!
Adult Regular Priced Tickets —$75
Youth Regular Price Tickets, ages 4 to 15 —$50
Children 3 years of age and under can attend for FREE
Mary Winn Heider is the author of over 30 books for kids, including THE LOSERS AT THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY, THE UNICORNS WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, and THE STUPENDOUS SWITCHEROO series, which she co-created with Chad Sell. Mary Winn’s very first novel, THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON, was based on her time working in a real life cadaver lab, and now that it’s a musical. In a School Library Journal column a few years ago, Betsy Bird wrote, “In an era of information overload, Mary Winn Heider is the author who will lead us through the pandemonium into the light.” Mary Winn’s books have been on state lists, appeared on Bank Street Best Books, received Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection status, been long-listed for the Edgar Award, and landed on Indies Introduce and Indie Next lists.But before all of that, Mary Winn was a company member with Playmakers Lab, where she spent a decade pretending to be a chicken, an astronaut, and a princess, and sometimes, all three at once.
This event is a fundraiser to support PML’s outstanding creative writing programming in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. 100% of the tickets proceeds will support PML classes! For 28 years PlayMakers Laboratory has served Chicago Public School students by providing a creative writing residency program aimed primarily at elementary schools. Our company of over 60 teaching artists utilize creative drama and storytelling to promote literacy and self esteem during our in-school residencies and park district programming. Each year, our programs serve more than 4,000 young people across Chicago. In our 6 week writing residencies, a whopping 88% of students improve writing scores by at least one level over the course of our residencies. Plus, 100% of classroom teachers report that our program supports their student’s writing and improves confidence and self-esteem.
By Dante H., 4th Grade, Loyola Park After School Program
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2005
Wilmette 2007
Once upon a time there was a room full of food and men, but no women. Women always wanted to get in that room, but women were not allowed! One day women started throwing rotten eggs at the room because they were so angry that they started breaking in to the room, gobbling the food, and beating up the men. It was a women rampage. Then after all that they rebuilt the room and women were finally allowed to go in.
By Simon W., 3rd Grade, Haines School
Dialogues
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2006
Characters: Black Elf/ Master of Darkness/ Magician of Light/ Master of the Sword of Light
Setting: Island of Darkness/ Island of Light/ Final Destination
Master of the Sword of Light (MOTSOL): Let’s head for the Island of Darkness.
Magician of Light (MOL): Be careful though.
MOTSOL: I will and you should help me.
MOL: I’ll come with you.
Master of Darkness (MOD): MOL and MOTSOL are fools.
Black Elf (BE): They will die!
MOD: They will once they come.
BE: They can’t stand up to our army of darkness!
MOTSOL: I sense darkness! Be careful!
MOL: I will MOTSOL. Spirits come to gather light! Yes spirits come!
MOTSOL: SLASH OF SPIRITS!
MOL: Yes, now it’s an army of light!
BE/MOD: NO!
BE: Head for the island of light!
MOTSOL: SLASH OF LIGHT!
MOD/BE: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
MOD/BE: Yes, Island of light.
MOD/BE: Yes, Island of light is destroy!
MOTSOL/MOL: NOOOOOOO!
MOD/BE: Yesssssssss!
MOD/BE: Muhahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!
MOTSOL/MOL: Head for the Final Destination!
MOD/BE: Follow them!!!
MOTSOL: SPIRIT SLASH!!!!!!!!
MOTSOL: Yesssss!!! DIE!!!!!!!
MOD/BE: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
MOD/BE: THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!!!
The End
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Arturo S., 5th Grade, Cleveland School
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2005
Once upon a time in hospital there were only two patients a lonely scientist and a talking Potato Chip they were injured in a car crash they were mad at each other they were in the same room and tried to fight. One night the hospital people forgot about them and they were locked in. They yelled and yelled but no one heard them. The lonely scientist was hungry and told the potato chip I’m going to eat you. The potato chip said help! He is going to eat me. The Potato Chip ran and ran the lonely scientist ate him and said yum yum. The end. Monkeys Rule!
By Ramon D., Loyola Park After School Program
True Stories
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
It was the happiest day of my life when I was at the mall and I got my second cellphone. I was with my mom. I was very fun. I had a lot of of fun.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Joshua I., 3rd Grade, Harold Washington Elementary
True Stories
Holidays
Valentine's Day
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
In the summer time last year just about before the school year was over there was this girl named Diana [note from the typist: all i’s in ‘Diana’ written with a heart as the dot on the i] that I sorta had a crush on she smelled like fresh fruit or flowers she was like a dream come true so total hot that she could almost hypmatize me to do or give her something. I had the most scariest gang of rough friends ever even the 8th graders were horrified of us we were vicious like a swarm of wild sharks. Diana had the most prettiest friends and all of my friends go out with them but I got beauty and brains. One day something changed completely after we had art and washed our hands Diana walk in and turn off the lights and frenched me WOW tolito! Man she could kiss so could I ♥
By Dinelle H., 4th Grade, Dewey School
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2005
TOTL 2006
Wilmette 2007
the dog was dead. He Hit His Head and He come Back to life. He was nice this time to the cat that had hated him the cat was just so mad Because the dog was dead and now he’s alive and the cat touch the dog and the dog said Wolf Wolf Wolf. and the dog said mmmm and it was so sad the dog was back alive. The dog was dead. He Hit His Head? He Came Back to life He Was So Nice.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Chrishonda T., 4th Grade, Chalmers Elementary
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
He is bbq on the bbq. He is cookin some steak on the bbq. It may look tasty but it’s not because the steak burnt and the steak is burnt burnt burnt the steak is burnt. And the steak burnt. [in bubble letters] steak
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Martin S., Gladstone School
Spanish
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
Había una vez un perro que siempre jugaba con sus amigos los gatos. Pero un día que los animales decidieron jugar y correr. Uno de los perros corrió muy rápido y tropezó con una grande piedra, y el impacto fue muy grande que el perro se golpeó con una pelota en el hocico y eso le causó que perdiera su gran dentadura. Entonces el perro rápidamente corrió hasta un espejo y se miró y vió que había perdido toda su dentadura. Cuando llegó la tarde, el perro regresó a su casa muy preocupado por lo que dirían sus dueños. Los dueños dijeron: “No lo puedo creer, esa es mi mascota.” Entonces llevaron a el perro con su veterinario y dijo: “yo tengo la solución para ese problema, yo lo pondré con una dentadura de plástico.” Y así fué. Cuando los señores regresaron a su casa, ahora ellos regresaron con una nueva mascota y con una dentadura nueva en el perro.
English translation:
The Toothless Dog
There was once a dog that always played with his friends the cats. But one day the animals decided to play and run. One of the dogs ran very fast and tripped on a big stone, and the impact was really big so that the dog hit himself on the mouth with a ball and this caused him to lose all of his great teeth. Then the dog ran fast to find a mirror and saw that he had lost all of his teeth. In the afternoon the dog returned to his house and was very worried about what his owners might say. The owners said, “I can’t believe that is my pet.” Then they took the dog to the veterinarian and he said, “I have the solution for this problem, I will put in plastic dentures in his mouth.” And that’s how it was. When the owners returned home, they returned with a new pet and with a new set of teeth on the dog.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Samuel 'Mandark' B., 5th Grade, Harold Washington Elementary
Arguments
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2005
I believe nobody should not eat chitterlings.
1st because, they’re yucky pig intestines.
2nd because, it is where the poop goes.
3rd because, they eat mud.
4th because, they are pork and I can’t eat pork, except for pepperoni.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Mikchayel W., Harold Washington School
Arguments
Songs
Monkeys Come Alive
That's Weird, Grandma
First I think kids should go buckwild because kids don’t wanna learn. We wanna play. We wanna rule the classroom. We thirst for power.
Next I believe kids should play because most kids think teachers make learning boring.
Last I think kids should play in the classroom because why waste all our crazy energy on positivity. C’mon let’s destroy somethin’.
NO WAIT I DISAGREE.
I disagree because I don’t wanna loose all my energy.
Next I disagree because there’s 24 hours in a day and we only get 5 hours.
Third I disagree with myself because I just like arguing.
