The Gladish Community and Cultural Center is hosting the Palouse’s first-ever anime convention on Saturday, June 21. The event, located at 115 NW State St. in Pullman, will run 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
General adult admission is $10, student admission is $7 and youth 12 and under admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online or day-of at the door. A donation of canned or dry goods or unopened hygiene products will earn $3 off admission prices at the door. All donations will go to Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse.
Activities will include panels and workshops, a performance of Qui Nguyen’s play “She Kills Monsters” and a cosplay contest. Local artists and vendors will also be present.
Neill Public Library will be holding a pop-up library session in Room 302 from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Visit their table and enjoy a selection of manga, books and more.
The Adaptive Costume Design for Disability Panel, hosted by Colleen Cosplay, will begin at 11 a.m. in Room 315. Colleen Cosplay will dive into adaptive design, including wheelchair-accessible costumes, decorations for mobility aids and the larger history of adaptive fashion.
At noon in Room 315, join fellow fans for Geek Trivia. Assemble a team of three or more and go for prizes on the battlefield of fandom, from anime, video games and movies to comics, fantasy and sci-fi.
Cam Johnson will run an improvisation workshop at 12 p.m. in the View Room. Whether you’re an experienced performer or new to improvisation, the session is open to all skill levels.
An informational panel on different types of anime will be hosted by Madeleine Hjaltalin in Room 315 at 1 p.m. Join the session to find recommendations or ways to get your friends and family to watch anime with you.
At 2 p.m. in the View Room, step into a world of sword fights, sorcery and self-discovery with Qui Nguyen’s play, “She Kills Monsters,” performed by the Gladish Players. Join fellow D&D fans and story lovers to laugh, cry and cheer throughout the performance. Limited seating is available, so arrive early to secure a seat.
Vash Van Horn will host “Spirk to Destiel: A History of Shipping and Fanfiction” at 4 p.m. in Room 315. Van Horn will review the history of fanfiction and “shipping” in the U.S., taking a look at everything from fanfiction websites to copyright law.
Fans can bring their favorite characters to life in the AnimeFest Cosplay Contest at 5 p.m. in the View Room. The contest is judged upon overall look, accuracy, difficulty for the contestant’s skill level and stage presence. Sign up at the information desk in the second floor hallway when you arrive at the event.
There will be prizes for the top cosplayer in each category. The event will be judged by guest cosplayers Colleen Cosplay and Yvette Tremblay.
More information, including schedule specifics and contest rules, can be found at https://gladishcommunity.org/about-1.
Dakota Steffen can be reached at [email protected].