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 Tahanni W., Dixon Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
There once was a lady named Leola was sad because she had a lot of friends and she couldn’t tell them her secret. They wondered why she didn’t show up at things like the dance or movies. She made things up things like that it was her 19th bday but it wasn’t. Or that she had a family get together both she said was at her house. But when one of her friends, Susie, went over to her house to celebrate. She rang the door bell and on one answered. Susie knew something was going on. One day Susie was spying on Lee and she caught le and her family going out in all black and they walked into a place named the spys. Next day at school Susie asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Le said “tell you what?” Susie pulled her aside and said ” That you are a spy.” Le said ” because I can’t and not supposed to.” Susie was sad because they are suppose to tell each other everything.
THE END.
By Daniel & Angel, Loyola Park After-School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
One day a exit sign said to a bunny “Hey Fur ears!”
“Hello exit sign,” said the bunny.
“Bunny, don’t leave.”
“You could get new conditioner, but some tennis balls.”
They talked for a long time but the bunny finally had leave. But, the bunny said, last, “Bie Bie exit sign.” From then on the exit sign talked to birds.
By Ingrid P. & Eviatar H., Skinner North Classical School
Superheroes
Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Dear Hidolya, My favorite holiday is Channukah. (Han-ik-a). We eat latkes, gelt, matzo ball soup, and we get presents. Channukah is mainly about how the Jews burned oil that was supposed to last one day, but it lasted eight!
– Ingrid
—-
Dear Hidolya, The way you the way you celebrate Hannukak is to invite all your family and eat suvgauist (jelly-filled pastries with powdered sugar on top) and latkes (potato/sweet potato pancakes). We light menorahs ( a 8 in 1 candle holder) and we – Eviatar (From Earth, 3rd planet, TU solar system, 11, 4, 15
THE END.
By Maggie S. BLUE GROUP, Loyola Park After-School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
Check yourself you got to check yourself
Oh yeah you do Oh yeah you do
Check yourself you got to check yourself
Oh yeah you do Oh yeah you do
Check check check yourself (4x)
WE ARE…
Check yourself you got to check yourself
Oh yeah you do Oh yeah you do
Check yourself you got to check yourself
Oh yeah you do Oh yeah you do
THE END.
By Domi N., Loyola Park After-School Program
Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
One day in 1974 a man caught a duck in a bug net. Then he saw a bunch of people with bug nets following him. They all ran after ducks in the park. The man asked them why they were copying him, and they said it was a good idea. That night they ate a duck feast. That is the origin. Now people catch all sorts of creatures in bug nets and built a monuments. To be continued… THE END.
By Cameran M., Dvorak School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
One day Jake woke up and his back was hurting so bad it felt like a cannon hit him. So when he got up to go eat breakfast he slipped on his brother’s skateboard. He fell so hard it felt he fell on a nail. Then he went to the bathroom to put his clothes on when he looked in the mirror he had lots of bumps on his face. Then he went to school. The children made fun of him and he got bullied. He was madder than a grizzly bear. So he went home and went to bed in hopes the next day would be better. THE END.
By Troy C., Jasmine R., Malik S., Tierra W., Curtis F., and Jerry L., Dewey Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time it was a man named John, a girl named Lila and Lila’s sister CC that can turn into a dragon. She could protect her sister, Lila. Lila liked John and John liked Lila, but Lila’s sister didn’t want them to get together. She tried to ruin their relationship. When John and Lila would go somewhere, CC would say she had to go to the bathroom and she’s come back as a Dragon and try to grab her sister, and she and John would battle. Lila had visions when her sister was going to do something bad, and Lila’s life was miserable. The reason CC acted bad was because she wanted to get some attention, so she started a war between the Hot and Cold, so John and Lila break up because John is on the Hot and Lila’s on the Cold. CC was going to go to the Freeze to get more people to battle John. When CC and John were fixin to battle, Lila tried to make them be friends. They tried to take her but she turned into a dragon. John took CC to get some ice cream, and she became friends with Lila. They stopped to war. The end.
By Sarronda L., Jaleesa W., Anaya G., Dewey
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: NJ, CA, RA Setting: A Bubble gum party
NJ: Lets have a bubble gum party
RA: Watebs
CA: (ok) I’m their.
NJ: I got all this bubble gum.
RA: I’m eating purple gum now and I’m turning purple.
CA: look at the ceiling it gum is floating.
NJ: look I am pink like bubble gum
RA: I am purple like the juice ohh la la
CA: I’m blue girls lets sing in our bubble gum out fit.
NJ: Let’s sing starships.
RA: hit it.
CA: give me a beat.
By Michael E. & Napoleon N., Paderewski Elementary
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Me and Michael went to a Bulls game and then Derrick Rose poped out of the sky. Then Derrick hit a 3 pointer out of the sky.
Michael: Did you see that? That was awesome
Napoleon: III saw that.
The after he shot he gave us that ball. When he gave us the ball we opened it it had 40 million in a Gucci bag
Derrick: Are you 2 hungry?
Michael: Yes we are both hungry.
Napoleon: So Derrick where are we going?.
Derrick: Let’s go get you 2 freshed up.
NM: Okay!!!!
Michael: Derrick why don’t we order hummer limo
Derrick: what color
MN: black & yellow.
Derrick: we should go get that boy who made that
We went to the greatest food chain ever and spend 1 million bucks
The End
By Isabella , Loyola Park After School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
One day at antarctica a marshmelow named Bob he had a girlfriend named
Cortny she always said be careful to him and also don’t get eaten by
those littol dang deer he always said don’t worry baby! I’ll be fine.
But oan day it was Bob’s birthday he said “Am going out huny” She
did not say anything she got a diet coke cause marshmelow guop was
skurting out like really bad. Bob had no idea and when he left BOM!!
She died Bob did not come back he got eaten by one of those dang
deers. The End and that is the story of the old man.
