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 Leonard, 3rd Grade, Hibbard
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time they was two witches they name was Ann and Sally. They lived in a boot. And Sally lived in the sidewalk. (illustration)
They are very not scary. They favorite color was blue, yellow. They hobbies was finding boyfriend and friend. And fishing. (illustration)
They both are 17 year old they go to Westing House. Sometime they fight. (illustration)
They favorite food is pizza, heart, brains, liver. Sally like going to club Ann like to go to the bar. (illustration)
Here come 1 hand Jack (illustration)
By Noe T., 4th Grade, Henderson
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
It was fourth of July and I had to read and study. Then my dad told me to go throw the garbage. But then he told me to open up the bag to find a hat. Then there was two boxes of fireworks!!! Then we exploded them the sounds capow!—Cabang! Boom!—bang! And the finale Cachow! Cachow!!!!
By Renee L., 4th Grade, Lorca
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon time there were a kid and some ducks. The kid was by the bus stop and some ducks follow him he said what the? If he went running so did the ducks. The kid had a book of ducks and he open it. He was finding a picture of those ducks. Then he find it and said a weird word. The End
By Dyani, Laura, Stephanie C., Roger, Oliver, and Selena G., 3rd Grade, Lorca
That's Weird, Grandma
The horse was thinking about dropping the lady and throwing the lady to the sky. She was ugly. No one wanted to be her boyfriend because she was too ugly and too old. Then the horse acted really crazy, and she fell down and cried for three years. The horse kicked her in the leg. She went to the hospital and got a cast and almost died. Then a bug got in her ear and started yodeling “Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo!” The horse followed her and kicked her all the way to outer space. She said, “Oh, I can see Mars!” She landed through her window and broke the glass. Then an old man came in the next day and found her sleeping and decided he wanted to be her boyfriend.
By Joshua, South Shore Cultural Center Words @ Play Program
Poems
That's Weird, Grandma
One night I laid in my bed
Sometimes I felt like I was dead
Then I went inside my brain
I also felt like I had something to gain
But the next thing I knew, I was
Sitting on my grandfather’s lap
I saw him wearing a red cap
I told him I missed him much
Then he said. “Sorry”, touching my head
Just one touch
I asked what have you been doing?
Just wishing you were here.
I looked at him
I was feeling my dream dim
I woke up like a dart
Feeling he was in my heart. *********
By Rodney N. , 4th Grade, New Sullivan
That's Weird, Grandma
This a song a country sound sung by singing shark
(sung)
Once upon a time I went in a toy store and then I saw a gold fish and then I bought it and then it was five dollars, and then I bought it. And then I went out store and told my mama. And then and then I went to bed and then in the morning I woked up I woked up I fixed me some cereal (two beats).
And then and then I put on my clothes I did and then I went to school and then I get out out of school and then when I get out of school I changed my clothes ride my bike go to my friends house and then I watched the smack down Sunday and John Cena won. The End
By Melanie J. , 4th Grade, Little Village
That's Weird, Grandma
Veronica has a problem. She is a vampire, but she is a vegan. But, she hates blood! She only eats veggies. And all of the other vampires made fun of her. She started to cry, but, a boy protected her, his name is Marine vegan vampire. He loves to eat veggies and hates blood. Veronica amd Marine were fun of the other vampires. Veronica’s dad got mad because Veronica was close to the boy. She was punished for 1 month and not going outside. Veronica was working on a poison, a poison that makes every vampire a vegan, for short is EVAV. She spread out the poison inside the blood and all of the vampire turned into a vegan and every vampire were sad and Veronica and Marine got marry and lived happily ever after. The End
By Jesus B., 4th Grade, Lorca
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I believe Piranhas should not kept as pets because piranhas are so expensive because they eat a lot of meat and meat costs a lot of money. They should not kept is pets because they can eat your hand when you feed them. Piranhas should not exist because sometimes when you go to lakes and swim there could be piranhas and eat you.
By Takeyah B., Quan T., Angelica H., 3rd Grade, New Sullivan
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Classroom
A: Can I borrow a pencil
Q: sure you can
T: I will sharpen the pencil Quan gave you
A: thank you
Q: your welcome angelica
T: No problem
By Jacob, Jatari, Kyla, Tessora and Hanna, 4th Grade, Lincolnwood
That's Weird, Grandma
One bloody morning, Serial Killer Squirrel was hungry, so he went to Jacob the beasty (really awesome) kid and said, “If you provide me money and food, I will work for you.” and the kid says yes. Serial Killer Squirrel and Jacob went into the forest to find food, and they came to this big tree filled with donuts. Jacob took the whole tree and planted it in his backyard. Serial Killer Squirrel tries to kill Jacob. Jacob gets his dagger and fights off the squirrel. The squirrel goes to the gym and gets all pumped up. He goes dancing all night. The squirrel drives home in his cherry red Ferrari to his mansion and orders 16 grenades and an extra large pizza with anchovies. He puts a grenade in the pizza by accident and they both eat the pizza and blow up and there are guts everywhere. The End
