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 Trenyce G., Dixon School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a waffle named Blueberry. He sprayed all his syrup on other people to make them sticky because he had not friends. One day the 3 girls Emma, Layla, and Dream wanted revenge so they set up a plan because they were tired of getting sticky and smelling like maple syrup. The next day the waffle was walking down the street and the 3 girls said “Hey, you burnt waffle we seek and to be so fleek, revenge.” The waffle was very scared. The 3 girls grabbed their forks and ate the waffle. Dream said “That was delicious.” And all the girls left and went home and had the best sleep over ever and ate more waffles at 12:00pm. THE END.
By Keairra M., Burnham Anthony Academy
Once upon a time there was a pepper festival. They had all kinds of peppers. Big ones small ones tall ones. They had balloons that look like peppers. It was a nice sunny day. The festival was near a forest. They had a lot of people carrying the big balloon. Some people even fell over trying to hold it down. Some people brought their family down to the festival. They had a picnic. The pepper festival only comes around once. The pepper festival came on July 5. One of the balloons flew away. The Balloons made big shadows. Bigger than a tree shadows. They pass pepper candles out at night. So people can wave them. They had fireworks that spelled peppers. And they had one in the shape of peppers. The pepper festival happens in every city. So everyone gets a chance to see the peppers. Sometimes they had a contest on the biggest pepper. The person with the biggest pepper gets a year supply of peppers. Last year Molly Patton won. She fainted when she heard the news. Also the person who wins against the world they get one of the big balloons. Many people participate. So why don’t you come to the pepper festival. THE END.
By Devon E., Dewey School of Excellence
I am a cockroach this valentine’s day
Oh how I love women
Let me count the ways
One because they are cute
Two they’ve got great personality
Three, they’re kind when they don’t step on me
Oh how I love women.
THE END.
By Lunaire F., Poe Classsical School
Setting: In a big village with dragons perched everywhere.
Fire Dragon: Yo ice Dragon
Ice Dragon: What is it?
Fire Dragon:there is a new breed in town.
Ice Dragon: Really?what is it?
Fire Dragon: It’s a Shadow Dragon.
Ice Dragon: Hey I think I just saw him. He’s very big. He’s bigger than me!
Life Dragon: He is dummy. He’s supposed to be because he’s more powerful.
Ice Dragon: Oh. And don’t call me a dummy.
Fire Dragon: Hey you over there.
Shadow Dragon: What!
Fire Dragon: Ice Dragon over here thinks he’s stronger than you!
Ice Dragon: I didn’t say that.
Shadow Dragon: So, let me get this straight. You think you are stronger than me!!
Ice Dragon: No!
Fire and Life Dragon: Yes he does!
Shadow Dragon: Let’s fight to see who is stronger!!!!!!!!!!
Narrator: (2 hours later)
Shadow Dragon: I win!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shadow Dragon: Who’s stronger now?
Ice Dragon: Me!
Shadow Dragon: Shut up uncle Grandpa dragon.
THE END.
By Jessica F., Lorca School
Once upon a time there lived a zombie. He loved the hanglider. I saw him I loved the hanglider, too. So I saw him and I said BOY YOU NEED MAKEUP!!! I screams. But all he said was Oooooooeoeoe!! Brains. So I said Oh Ow and I ran to the bathroom. And guess what. I saw the zombie AND HE WAS PUTTING ON MAKEUP so I snapped at him and said SNAP OUT OF IT!!! THE END.
By Sade T., Brian H., Eva S., Bailey G., and Israel E., Graham Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
There was a girl named Rosanna. She met a guy at school named Buck. They call him Buck because he is a hunter who shoots Bucks (Deer). One day Rosanna brought Buck home to meet her mom and Grandpa. She also had a live deer. Rosanna’s mom, Ashley, wanted to smack Buck upside the head with a vase, because he was obnoxious and he kills deer which makes Ashley upset and scared. Grandpa just wants his applesauce. Buck hates applesauce and throws it in the trash. Grandpa hits Buck with his cane and says “Hey! I wanted that you young-timer!” Buck had bought Rosanna a snake and her mom hated the snake. The snake ties to eat the deer and their pet dog. Rosanna marries Buck. The mom marries the pet dog. The snake marries the deer. And grandpa marries the applesauce. THE END.
By Mya S, Ny'tevia H, Nya B, Alisha H, Kendra B, Jamie H, Tyrese H, Tyler B., Chalmers School of Excellence
Once Victoria the princess was wearing a pink dress. She is nice but when you mess with her she can be your worst nightmare! She was going to a castle to get berries for a pie. Her father the king sent her a basket to get the berries. But the berries were near the Nacho Monster’s Forest. While she was collecting berries the Nacho Monster saw her through his peep hole. He jumped out and scared her. She tried to run but unfortunately he stepped on her hair and she fell. She had really long hair because she loved Rapunzel and was trying to be like her. The Nacho monster was mad and sad because Victoria took his friend’s berries. Nacho Monster dragged Victoria by her hair to the Berry Monster’s door. The Berry Monster said “Who goes there?” “It’s me Nacho.” The Berry Monster was mad and screamed “Why’d you take my berries there are plenty of cherries in the Fairy Tree.” Victoria said ” I’m sorry I didn’t mean to take your berries. I was going to make berry pie for the ball, but we can share.” They decided to share and became friends. But a knight came to rescue her and the Berry and Nacho Monsters boiled him and chopped him up with pork chops. They ate him for dinner and the princess did too! The End
By Rogelio T, Lorca Elementary
Once there was chefs that loved two activities they worked as chefs then something happened they were late for a game they were in a rush they forgot to put there football uniform so the six men just put there helmets and rib protectors. There names were Samuel and Yae and Devin and Jairo they all played with squash and got very messy and there grandmas said you boys have to wash your own close because you are very messy bad boys. The End.
By Brooke B, Poe Classical School
One day a girl was training for the Olympics with her coach. She was his best student. She could do mostly everything. But one day when her coach told her she had to lift 10, 000 pounds to continue her training she tried and tried buy she could not lift the 10,000 pounds. She knew she’d never continue to the next step in her training if she did not do it. Next she did a training montage dun dun dun. Then she went back to training and lifted it. She celebrated by getting lazy and eating a lot of food so she never got into the Olympics. The end :-) :angry: > :-) > :-(
By Jaiden H, Dixon
I believe that race car driving is a cool job because race car driving is cold and I want to go to driving school when I turn 25 and one day I want 1,000, 550.00 for a Camaro 2L1 and cars are my favorite thing is listening to my favorite tunes in my Grandma’s car and my mom’s car and I sometimes I dream about cars and dreaming me drifting in a racing challenge or a drift race of Tokyo and Chicago and also Canada and I believe that driving a Dodge Challenger is fast and driving is my favorite and my thing is that I like to race with another opponent and like friend or with somebody else and I driving because driving is like a lesson and drifting is fun I say that because driving is super awesome. The end and I would like to thank Gwen, Nick and Timmy and David. Super Duper the End! It is cool man and Timmy is a superstar and Gwen is a good BOM teacher ever.
