Blog August 19, 2026

It Takes a Library to Make a Great Con: GPL Anime Con

Greensboro Public Library (GPL) Anime Con is a 1 day convention for the Greensboro community to connect through anime, gaming, cosplay, manga and Asian pop culture.

This year’s event was held at the Central Library in early August in downtown Greensboro, NC.

Although limited to one day, Anime Con was jam-packed with activities, guest speakers, talented vendors and a standing room only cosplay fashion show.

What I bought at GPL Anime Con

This is the only part of the con that had anything to do with food so I’m putting it first.

I’m a big fan of Sanrio characters and Tamas (Tamagotchi characters) and I’m extra happy when I can buy local artists’ interpretation of both franchises from one convention.

In the future, I plan to write about the relationship between Tamas and food, so you’ll see charms and trinkets again pretty soon.

kuromi pompompurin tamagotchi keychains stickers and prints

Here’s the loot with links to the artists’ websites or social media:

Tamagotchi print from @peach1ko
Pompompurin glitter acrylic keychain from AnnexedCat
Kuromi dessert stickers, Pompompurin charm and mini mirror keychain with Pompompurin (on the back) from CurlyPopShop

The caliber and selection of the artist’s alley is impressive. With Greensboro Comic Con coming up later this month, if any of the same artists are attending, I might buy a ticket.

Anime Con schedule for panels & events

This was the final schedule with a QR code for the panel descriptions:

gpl anime con 2026 schedule for panels and events. includes QR code for panel descriptions

Main events in the Nussbaum room

10 am: Once Upon a Japan Past: A Cultural Dive into Okami’s Fact, Fiction and Myths with Jesi Routh
11 am: Animeigo: 35 Years of Successfully Avoiding Having to Have a Real Job with Robert Woodhead
12 pm: Inspiring Aspiring Voice Actors with Cedric Williams
1 pm: Cosplay Fashion Show
2 pm: Lettering: The Hidden Art of Manga Localization with Brandon Bovia
3 pm: Why I Love Romance Anime with Rebecca Danae
4 pm: The Intense Audiovisuals of Hatsune Miku with Dr. Clair Nguyen

Fan panels in the Tannenbaum-Sternberger room

10 am: Amusement Parks of Japan
11 am: How to Create Awesome Community Fandom Events
12 pm: Her Story: Anime Made by Women
1 pm: The Burden of Salvation: Who Deserves to be Saved? The Ethics of Eren Yeager and Itachi Uchiha
2 pm: Who’s that Demon Slayer?
3 pm: Being Black in Anime Spaces
4 pm: Anime Match Game

Recycled manga bookmarks

My favorite part of the event was seeing so many people gathered around a table full of manga, anime magazines that I haven’t seen since the early 2000s, stickers and scrap paper.

bleach manga volume 7 and otaku usa magazine with cardcaptor sakura on the cover

We had all the tools provided, mainly scissors and glue to craft our personalized anime-themed bookmarks.

This activity is not something I’ve seen at other cons, unless they happen in individual panel rooms, but I’m proud to see a library create this type of activity.

For those of us who collect manga, it’s hard to chop up our books but this was the perfect opportunity to take scissors to manga that would have otherwise been thrown out, hopefully into the recycling bin.

I’m reminded of Adult Nights: Anime where the NCMNS encouraged attendees, well required them, to compost their food and drinks by removing the trash cans, leaving only compost containers.

I challenge other cons and events to find ways to repurpose and reduce the large amount of waste that will inevitably be produced.

Nostalgia Central at the Anime Home Video Museum

It only took three minutes at this mobile museum before I heard someone referring to the Gundam franchise as ‘old anime.’

Which is why I’m glad there’s the Anime Home Video Museum, a traveling archive preserving and sharing anime and AV equipment that spans several decades.

robotech captain harlock hunter x hunter and one piece on VHS

nausicaä of the valley of the wind ghibli movie on DVD

There were older handhelds on display, like the Sony PSP and Gameboy Advance SP.

My favorites from this collection were Robotech on VHS and getting to watch Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on DVD (which is not on this year’s lineup of Studio Ghibli Fest).

Reminder: You can get manga & anime for free through your local library

Many local libraries have a vast collection of physical and digital copies of anime and manga that you can borrow for free.

Check with your library system to see if you can get access to services like Kanopy or Libby, where you can stream shows and movies and/or read ebooks.