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 Kyjuan M., Learn Campbell Spring 2012
Holidays
Winter Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Christmas Ball
One day a women named Kelly Kelly was going home with a lot of Christmas presents when suddenly she got stuck in a Christmas Ball her size. She called the army. They didn’t use any guns because they thought it might kill her and they did not want that to happen. So the used knifes and to try and bust the Christmas Ball. Then they gave up and used a tank and a machine gun but when the opened the bubble she was already dead.
By Corodero P., Chalmers
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon the time there was a man named Chef Palo but he was sad. He felt alone unhappy. So he went to Italy. He meet this girl name Kalay so he went to ask her on a date. They went out for six days but they did not no that they both felt the same way. Tommrow Palo was going to ask her to marry. So he told Kalay he had a surprise. Kalay said were are we…going? Chef Palo said We’re going to Hawaii. So they went. Six weeks later after the’d already been engaged they got married they open a resturt.
By Jasmine H., West Pullman Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Oh my god
I found my sister’s friend.
I’m holding
my girlfriends hand.
“Oh my.”
My friend said, “I can see a dead man’s head.”
I see a blond woman and she is coming.
I can hear
a clowns laughter, and he is fatter.
WE are
at a new years eve party
and we are
Drinking Bacardi.
The countdown is just getting started
and my friend is having a ball.
THE END.
By Taniya J., Willa Cather Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a lady who was by herself and she was just looking around and she was on the bridge. She wanted to swim home in the water but she had on her work clothes so she couldn’t because she had to go to work in the morning and the whole family was going out and there was nobody to watch her kids so her kids were about to go with their dad but he had work in the morning too and then her kids start crying so then she said to herself I need to swim home but I got on my work clothes and I got work in the morning and the clouds were dark and scary and she saw a scary mountains then she saw her husband and her kids and then her whole family came and saved her and she hopped in the car and went home. THE END.
By Damajae M., Avondale-Logandale School
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
One day I was sleeping over at my uncle’s house and I was sleeping on an air bed and I was laying on the edge of the air bed and my older brother and little sister was playing on the airbed and I fell and hit my head on a heater and I was still asleep and when I woke up it was bloody all over the floor so I went to the hospital and i got staples. THE END
By Ameena A., Johnson School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
One day it was this girl who wanted to marry a bear and every night she says “love is enough for a bear”. The next day a bear buzzed her doorbell. She let him in and he said you remember me she said yeah I do and then they hanged for a few days in the bear decided to get married. She said yes so they got married and lived happily ever after. They both had met at the forest it use to be her job and they both was great friends back then but now she really want a great relationship now she’s so happy she founed her bear she was excited to have a great family now sean she letted him escape so they both had good family. PS They had kids. THE END.
By Luiza, Seamus, Damascus, Sofia, Matthew, Lincolwood School
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I am a turtle, and i believe people should not hurt or hunt me. I think people should instead kiss me. This way there are more turtle lovers in the world. My second reason is that turtles are cool. The reason they are cool, is they poop out babies. This way there are more turtles in the world. In conclusion, if you don’t stop hunting or hurting turtles, we will find a solution ourselves. THE END.
By Priscilla M., Avondale-Logandale School
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: Tom and Mariah and Rite Setting: Mexico
Tom: Abracadabra (make Rite disappear.)
Mariah: Can you do it again to me?
Rite: I like it here in space.
Tom: I love magic and I have trouble to make Rite back.
Mariah: Oh no! You put my friend in space.
Rite: Now I want to go home. Help me!
Tom: I don’t know [how] to bring Rite back to earth.
Mariah: I miss my friend so much.
Rite: I am home. I am happy.
THE END.
By Trinity N., Dixon Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma
One day, there was a pirate who lived on land because he didn’t have a ship. He didn’t know anybody. So he was very sad and very lonely. So five hours passed and he said I’m going to make new friends. So he went to a dance class and it had a dance competition and he made a lot of friends by doing a dance nobody knew: the Nae Nae. He danced his butt off and won the competition. THE END.
By Jake D., Jayla H., Myann W., Kayla L., Nick A., Cameron P., Lincolnwood School
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Train
Character: Shirley Bobalina
One day, Shirley Bobalina, a “Fancy Diva Pig” was on her way to a wedding and stepped in a mud puddle. Her dress got dirty and she went bananas. She went on the train to go to Lincolnwood Mall and get a new dress. The shopkeeper turned her away and said “No pork products allowed….unless dead for my lunch.” She felt devastated and started crying and had a temper tantrum. She went to the garbage to pick herself up. She put on mud for makeup, and the tears running down her snout made her look goth. She put on a garbage bag for a dress. She felt confident and gothy and got on the train to the wedding. She arrived and the guests said she had to be the chef because the chef didn’t show. The bride and groom pushed Shirley into the oven, put an apple in her mouth and made the delicious wedding. And they all lived happily ever after…except Shirley. THE END.
