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 Jonathan, Nicholas, Columbia Explorer's Academy
Setting: Mars
Person: What in the world is going on (scared)
Alien: Binga la minga. We will come and destroy this world. (mad)
One Day Later
Person: Well, if you do that can you at least knock me out. (yell)
Alien: I told you we were going to destroy the world. Here comes my UFO’s.
Human: Fight me or I get the Rocket Launcher. (brave)
Alien: Ok, if I win I take you with me. (laugh)
Human: If I win you become our slaves. (evil)
Person: (punches Alien in peace) (Alien forfeits) (And loses)
Alien: I knew I was going to lose. Plus I should have picked the rocket launcher
THE END
By Alani C, Avondale-Logandale
Once upon a time a mom and a cat and tomato lived in a home. The cat was named Aviva, and the mom was named Cally and the tomato was just Tomato. The cat got all the attention. The tomato was sad so he decided to grow very big. Then Cally said, “O.m.g. my tomato is big. So the tomato got all their attention. So the cat said “I will kill the tomato. So at night time the cat destroyed the tomato. So at the morning Cally said, “Who destroyed my tomatoes?” Aveva said, “Meow.” And Cally was sad and she cried and Aviva said, “I did it.” Cally was very disapointed so they grew a new tomato and they lived happily ever after. The End
By Roberto, Lorca
One day a woman named Alehandra applied for ballerina dances. She got dressed and when she got there she saw a lot of people. She was nervous because it was her first day and when it was her turn to dance two men came out to dance too. The teacher put music in the recorder. Suddenly they started to dance, the music was beautiful when Alehandra heard and she thought if she could do a jump and a kick and she did and accidentally kick the two men and they fell down. Alehandra was sorry for them, then the teacher punished her. She was said when she said that. The end.
By Lily A., Lily C., Giovanni M, Lauren D., Zachary B., Miled B, 2nd Grade, Lincolnwood Elementary
In the beginning Dr. Von Smelly was working on an evil potion that backfired and gave him a wedgie. It made him angry. He made a new potion that mixed and turned into an ugly lady who was in love with him. She said “We gotta live in this box!” They got in the box and she got sick….love sick. He drank a love potion, left the box, and fell in love with a beautiful lady. This made the ugly lady angry. The potion inside her started to bluggle and she turned into a monster. The monster said “I’m gonna get you!” But she was actually still in love. He built a love machine that protected him and his love in a cave inside a truck. The smelly monster lady still walks the earth to this day, looking for love.
By By Mikeal H, Learn Campbell Academy
Once a wonderful color lit up and the sky a secret magician freeze the ocean people stop and stare they were confuse the sky color vanish and the sea unthaw and turn in to water. The magician had revealed his identity by taking it away people came closer an take him to a secret magic place and became a professional magician.
By Perla G and Brianna V, Avondale-Logandale School
Characters: Princess, Mom
Setting: Castle
P: Mom, would you buy me a puppy? (excited)
M: No. (angry)
P: Please Mom. (sad)
M: Okay.
P: Thank you mom. I love you (happy)
Part 2.
P: Mom, I love my new puppy because it’s brown and soft and cute, (excited)
M: I love the puppy too. (happy)
P: Mom, can I go outside and play with my new puppy? (excited)
M: Okay, you can go outside.
P: Thank you Mom.
The End
Part 3.
P: Mom, I lost Fluffy.
M: Okay, calm down. We can go and find her.
P: If we don’t find her. (sad)
M: Wait, I found her.
P: Where is Fluffy?
M: She is in the tree.
P: Oh fluffy I miss you so much. (happy)
the end
By Alondro P, Columbia Explorer's Academy
One time Nilsa and Nilsa were in the ugliest competition on earth. The girls , well Nilsa and the other twin Nilsa were preparing the ugliest girls. Nilsa and the other Nilsa said “I am the ugliest. No I am. No I am.” Well they were why because they were twins. Why were they ugly? “Because they were probably 190 years old of life!!!” It was time of the competition to start. There were many people on it. Why because they can win up to 1,000,000 dollars $. All people were staring and shouting for names. Everyone had passed. Fat, skinny, medium, even babies. At last tehy passed Nilsa and Nilsa to the front. They wanted to be at least in second place or 1st place. Well the winners were Nilsa and Nilsa in first place from the ugliest ones eer in the whole world. They were so happy to be the ugliest in the whole universe! The End.
By Kadiatu S, Dewey Elementary
I believe that we should cook Ricky because I think he will taste good with some catfish I will got it all so come on Ricky I want to eat you please.
By Nakevia, Ismael, Fatima, India, Roberto, Jay, Cornell, Paderewski
One set of twins, Teara and Tianna, called Seara and Keara. They asked: “Do you want to go to the carnival?” So Seara and Keara get in their car. They drive to the carnival but they get lost. While they are lost they die because they ran out of food. Also they got in an accident. A zombie eats their brain and turns them into zombies. They ask a zombie for directions from another zombie. They get there. The line is too long. They eat all the brains to cut to the front of the line. They get in and meet up with the other twins. The zombie takes their picture. THE END.
By Terriona B, Chalmers Elementary
I believe that every girl on their birthday should be a princess. One reason is because girls like to get their hair and nails done and feet. One more reason is because girls like ponies and puppies and will like to be in a gown and tiara. My last reason is because I get 100 and a and B because I like it. My believes is that every girl and boys should have princess parties and be like hey girl (boys).
