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 Connor S., 6th Grade, Loyola Park
That's Weird, Grandma
Hi I am the stupendous kid FISH!!! and I figured out the map. Take a looky!
my version
(drawing of map)
But I kept the back the same. I am at the end of where the map leads and it’s the locked hospital. I entered the code. ABC123IGOP and it worked! I is a great FISH!!! I go inside find a treasure chest. I open it and scream with delight. It’s knowledge ice cream! a sign says that if I eat it I will know where to go! sees ya!
Next time: FISH!!! treasure hunter #5: Sea-potato reef.
By Alexis R. , 4th Grade, Little Village
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
One day my mom told me that I had to get over my fear of dogs so she took me to a store were they sell dogs so then my mom asked a lady that worked there if I could hold a white one that I picked out and it was calm. Then my grandma said she did not like because it looked sick looked like it was going to die. So then my mom and my grandma saw a black and white dog and it was acting all tough so then they wanted that one. Then we left to go home. So then a few weeks later my mom wanted to surprise me with a dog so what she did was she got the black and white dog and gave it to me when she was just a puppy then I called her bella and we were happy. The end
By Breanna J., 4th Grade, Kohn
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there were 5 man who moved into a hotel they all bringed a lot of bags with them the man’s got a job at the hotel when they get the jot they got fired on the first minute they got fired because they wenting to watch t.v. in their bedroom so they lefted the kitchen and left the food on the stove and the dish towel was in the fire and it put the kitchen on fire when they came back the owner of the hotel and the firefighter was there the owner said they were fired. So they had to move out and they had to take their bags with them to find a other home.
By Antonio M., 4th Grade, Dewey
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
Last night I was going to catch lightning bugs. I got a jar out of the refrigerator and poured out the orange juice, and went out the door. I saw the lightning bugs lighting up and I started catching them. I caught 13 and then I take them in the house for a few minutes in then I came back out and let them out the jar in they start flying away in I went back in the house that is how my day went.
The end
By Juana A., 4th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
True Stories
Holidays
Halloween
That's Weird, Grandma
I remember that once I was in a party. It was October 30th. It not any kind of party. It was a Halloween party. I was a vampire there was hot wings, salad and it was cold. It was in the basement and they started playing some music. Some songs were “Beat it” and “Thriller”. When those songs played I jumped off my seat and started dancing. Then suddenly my cousin Brian said, “let’s have a dance-off!” Then I said “Alright.” They started playing “Beat it”. We had a sign to let us know when it was our turn. There was a total of 4 dancers. The girl came in 1st place, I came in 2nd place, Brian came in 3rd and another boy came in 4th place. When they played “Thriller” I was on fire! Everyone was cheering me on. They were saying “You go girl!” and “Show these Michael Jackson imitators that you are the real dancer.” Then the judges said that I came in 1st place, the girl in 2nd, Brian 3rd and the other boy in 4th. once that song came on I got so excited. I didn’t even think anything I just moved to the music. “Don’t think it just feel it.”
By Keion M., 4th Grade, Stockton
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I believe all citizens of earth should have PSP
1. Because a PSP has internet music and games
2. On a psp you can connect to your Friend instead of having to waist gas going.
3. If you have a PSP you will stop bothering brother and sister
4. Some people don’t have the money for one and they really want one
5. Who cares about the real world
6. Killer, Cereal killer can get their anger out by killing on the video game
7. Who wants to get killed in their sleep.
8. You can create your own player
9. You can be what your not
10. When your done with your chores you could play your PSP and the house won’t get dirty
11. Every body can take care of a PSP
12. You can charge a PSP
13. You don’t have to pay your electric bill because they will be to busy playing their PSP to notice
14. You still learning with video games
15. There won’t be any wars because people will be playing PSP’s.
16. There will not be as much violence on earth
17. Animals won’t go instinct
18. PSP’s can be upgraded
19. The world will be a better place and without violence
20. I believe every Body on Earth should have a PSP
By Tamika, 3rd Grade, Henderson
That's Weird, Grandma
My favorite color is red. I have a red shirt that I like. I wear it on special days. One day it turned into an apple. The apple was mean and it did something mean. I felt scared so I fought the mean apple and I won!
By Kasey C., Berger Park Words @ Play Program
Poems
That's Weird, Grandma
Red rocket ships ride the Milky Way
With monkeys eating maggots
Making more in the rocket ship with moms in the ship
Maggots attack back to the monkey
But mom stops the fight
Frank forgets to fry French fries in the frying pan
Forgetting to make monkey money
And get beautiful bananas for the forgetful monkeys
And a monkey plans to use for disastrous dinner
They keep talking when throw up throwing food
Finding maggots to eat
Mom throws pans
Parrot keeps peeping to the old peter pet
By Nelvin P. , 4th Grade, Trumbull
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
Once I was playing with my mom the game was called Pokemon it was so fun I almost won until I pulled my muscle I started getting scared about my leg. We went to the hospital, I was nervous because it was my first time going to the hospital. I started shaking my mom said “his nervous” in a silent way because she didn’t want me to hear her they called me I got really scared my room was 104. She started touching my leg and said if my leg herted I said a little I had to wear the white strap on my left leg. We got home and I was happy again we played the game Pokemon and I won. We ate peanut butter jelly sandwich. It was great. The end.
By Angie G., 4th Grade, Little Village
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: Kitty and Dog and Owner (Elizabeth Tailor)
Setting: Navy Pier
K: (Eating) Miau how are you Dogy
D: (sad) not okay
K: (going outside) here you can share my food.
D: (walking) well okay.
K: (looking) hmm.
D: (proud) well I need to go to the bathroom to do poo.
K: (face of proud) well I don’t know why the dog didn’t like my food It because I put some water on them.
D: (Dogy come from the bathroom)
K: (saying hello) Are you were using your own bathroom
D: (proud) NO!
K: (asking question) why not
D: (proud) be…..cause I used the persons bathroom one.
K: (worried) Oh! oh! The owners it is going to be angry
O: GUYS!!! Who go to the bathroom.
K: Oh! Oh! We need to hid on the brush
D: Yeah that’s right.
O: I found you dog come on over here.
O: (Tailor Mad) You too Kitty
The End
PS. D: I think I have a lot of Poop.
