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.
PlayMakers Laboratory is sponsored in part by
The Chicago Community Trust,
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events,
The Crown Family Philanthropies,
The Field Foundation,
The Mardi Gras Fund,
The Paul M. Angell Foundation,
The Polk Bros Foundation,
The Siragusa Family Foundation,
And generous Individuals like you!
By Danielle T., Poe Classical School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a zoo that was the worst. You might ask “why is it the worst?” Just ask Serious Sally. Sally will tell you “That zoo has hay everywhere”. But you will say “Stupid, duh there’s hay it’s a zoo”. She will also say there’s animals always out of the cage. You will say “duh, birds that are wild are always out of a cage. And last she is stinky and smelly “duh, all of the animal smells.” You might think she’s crazy or dumb, but the real reason is because, she’s a princess of course. Duh, why else? THE END.
By Diontanae W., Chalmers School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Once upon a time there was 10 siblings by the ocean doing yoga there was Sandra, Kat, Rachel, Eunice, Kerry, Steven, tim, Lana, darian and kevin but while Sandra was doing the tree pose she fell over 33 feet into the ocean and they saw a girl jumping rope the 9 siblings begged to see the rope she said, “sure” so they threw the rope down and shouted. Sandra grab the rope she grabbed and yelled I got it so she climbed up the rope and then they all lived happily ever after. THE END.
By Corey H. & Sinshire G., Herzl School of Excellence
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Setting: Subland, Characters Walking Meatball and Mozzarella Cheese
Narrator: The tale of the best friends
Walking Meat Ball: I saucey today
Mozzarella Cheese: Meatball you always saucey like I always cheesy.
Walking Meatball: Well….you don’t know how it feels being saucey.
Mozzarella Cheese: I don’t care how it feel to be saucey! I happy being cheesy.
Walking Meatball: Well, we not best friends anymore.
Mozzarella Cheese: Well you can’t make a meatball sub without me
Narrator: They never to talk again
THE END.
By Geneva D., Loyola Park After-School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
One rainy day in a zoo a girl named Jessica was looking at the monkeys and one monkey disappeared. She looked all over the monkey house. She ask what just happened to the monkeys and the Zoo Keepr said “OY my dear in the monkey habitat there is a door and so the monkey went in the door” and she said “Ow that is how the monkey disappeared!” But she still did not get it and she still never got it dun dun dun. THE END.
By Jamada H., Johnson School of Excellence
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Once I was nine years old. It was the year 2016. I went to Wisconsin with my Dad and my stepmom. We went to the zoo and we were with the monkeys. One of the monkeys jumped toward me and my cousin and slapped her on the face. Then my Dad slapped the monkey back and then we ran away to another exhibit. THE END.
By Laquan J., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
The alien (MEEKY is his name) ate the person (name was puppy) in his house and he laughed and then he ate the whole world and then he got in his spaceship and called all his friends. THE END.
By Kearia C., Dvorak School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
One Day I was at the Laundromat I was washing then I had a big bag of detergent I have a good smelling clothes I’m dancing on the washer and dryer because the Gain had my clothes smell good I can not stop dancing I love to wash my clothes. do you? THE END.
By Aliyah M., Columbia Explorers Academy
Monica wanted to dance. But her bird did not want her to dance. So her mom Hceca said “Don’t listen to your parrot” and she danced and sold her parrot. And lived happily ever after. THE END.
By Eayani P., Lorca Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
One day Alexis mom left for an important work call. Alex had to stay with a babysitter. He didn’t like her. She liked to sit around and break his legos, every time he built it. And she would say make it again. Mom was gone for 2 weeks. He was sad. But one day he called her and told her what happen. Then she came home. And they had a sword fight with pillows. And Alex never had a babysitter again. THE END.
By Dulce H., Prieto School
Spanish
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Un dia mi familia yo fuimos al parque y ovia maches perros! Mi hermana le tenia mucho miedo entonses mi mama digo “no le tengas miedo a los perrito!” Entonces caminamos y miramos un pero mucho grande. Mi hermana y yo le teniamos mucho miedo yo me pase de tras de uni mama y tenia dientes grandes le dige a mi a mi tio “lla bamos a llegar porque me esta dando mucho mredo.” Yo estada tenblando yola queria llegar a la tienda era ropa, y la tienda era hiu y largo mi tia diga “escogas le que quienes!” Entonces mi tio pago me amigos a la casa y me diverti mache. THE END.
English translation:
One day, I went to the park with my family, and we saw a lot of dogs! My sister was really scared of the dogs and my mom says to her, “don’t
be scared of the dogs.” We kept walking and we saw a really big dog. My sister and I were really scared. I hid behind my mom, it had really big teeth. I asked my uncle, “Are we there yet? Because I’m really scared!” I was shaking and really wanted to get to the clothing store. The store was really long and my uncle said, “Get whatever you want!” Then he paid and friends came home with me and I had a lot of fun! THE END.
