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 Dashae E., 4th Grade, Chalmers
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
My name is Jelly. And everybody thinks I’m delicious so they started calling me the Delicious Jelly girl. And I love the color purple because it’s the color of jelly. And I have just one enemy and I can’t stand this person. Can anybody guess who it is. Anybody. And I have a lot of friends like peanut butter and ketchup, and mustard.
By Waylan M, 3rd Grade, Haines
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
There were 2 people named peanut brain and Jack butt. They had to practice performing every day until January 16, 2007. They had to perform with flags. But instead they used swords. They had to perform to fight each other. They were practicing and practicing. There father named King Lava saw them with the sword fighting There dad said that is too dangerous. But they didn’t listen and his dad turned into lava and tried to burned them but they had good reflexes so they dodge all his lava and peanut brain and jack butt killed him with the sword. Finally, they performed and everybody loved there performance.
By Myeshia S., 4th Grade, Henderson
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was three Princesses named Beyonce and Cinderella and Cindrillion. The three Princesses where goingout to eat and one of the princesses tasted keptchup and said this is so naste I am not eating keptchup ever again. Then a nother Princess said keptchup out they had fight and then Cinderala had whone the fight. The next day they asked each-other do you want to be in the group again and just Promise we won’t fight again. And kept on going out to eat. The end
By Imani G., Brenneman
Songs
What Part of Don't Sing...
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
TOTL 2005
Ones upon a time it was a big funny bunny who lived in a tree but he did not have a house that have a roof on top just like all the house but he had a house with leaves on it. That funny bunny did not know what to do he just clap his hands ten times 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 He stop then he said I am the smart funny bunny in the house but he was talking to his self. Then the snake came and said, you is not the smart funny bunny in this house I am the smart snake in the house. So the snake clap hiss hands ten times 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 So the funny bunny said, you so silly How come you the funny snake in your family said the funny bunny. The funny bunny and snake friends came and it was bo-bo, frog, fish-fish, bird, dog, cat and thetwo silly willy’s. And all the animals had a great time but the the two silly willy’s just said something, I am smart funny bunny, then all the animals start again 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 They all said, Silly Willy.
By Paul M. , 3rd Grade, Meadowbrook
Other Venues
Storefront 2002
TOTL 2005
Chicken : Once I stuck a piece of chicken up my nose. I couldn’t breathe. The doctor had to pull it out. They had a big tool. They were going to use but lucky I didn’t need it. Because I sneezed and that made it go flying in the air. And my Mom caught it.
Tent: When I was a baby in my cradle I had a tent. In that tent I slept and had a sleep over with my sister. She filled up the bed space. She made me get mad. When I cried she told me to be quiet.
Man: I am man. I eat.
END
By Amy T., Gladstone
Other Venues
Stuff On My Head 2000
TOTL 2005
The bats was in a cave and Erick had Two friends and Two family members in the cave with him they were playing a game that were called “Who ever stay upside-down the longest is the winner” and Erick’s friend said I am getting tired of hanging upside down so he flyed down on the mat that were under the bat because if the fall and they can’t fly they can land on it and Erick’s friend was resting and they lived happily ever after.
By Danielle W., 5th Grade, Loyola Park After School Program
Holidays
Halloween
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
Once upon a time there was a woman named Melisa. She loved playing the piano. She was creepy and scary, but also very talented. One day her boyfriend gave her a haunted piano. She was going to play the piano at a talent show. When she got there the performance was horrible and her boyfriend broke up with her. She ran away in misery and was never seen again. Some people say she killed herself.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Elizabeth M. , 4th Grade, Cleveland
True Stories
Holidays
Halloween
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
I remember I went to six flags, October 7, 2005 to Six Flag Great America and people dressed up like pirates but with no face but like it’s falling and then there was some aliens and sadder clown but like joker clowns and mean ones too and no one finds me and my friends were crying. Because they will touch you, scare you, run after you if you go on a ride alone they go with you and they will cut the line and people screaming, crying, running. And even people will run to a ride and they take a picture with you and then there were isrbes and it was because it was Halloween you are supposed scary you and that the fun part. The End.
By Arron R., 4th Grade, Haines School
Superheroes
That's Weird, Grandma
I am super popsicle boy. My costume is a giant popsicle. My super power is give people brain freeze just hitting their head. During the day I popsicle. I will not rest until every always it popsicle. My enemy is hotttt Boy. The last time I saw him was when I knock his brain out. He was trying to melt out popsicle and knock it out.
By Stephen P., 4th Grade, Reavis Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
1.) You need to go to the kitchen get everything you need
2.) Turn the pot on put the eggs on.
3.) Put little piece of meat on the eggs.
4.) You can put some cheese on the eggs and meat
5.) Take it out the pot and put it on the plate
6.) Now it is ready to serve!
Today I want teach you how to make a omelet.
Do you know how to make one.
I can teach you.
