Vacation at the Givens Collection

This one’s a little different…

Often when I write the blog posts for gigs Jose and I have done, I generally focus on the background or behind-the-scenes tidbits and details around the actual gig. That’s technically true for this one as well, but there was so much going on and around our visit to The Givens Collection that the actual behind-the-scenes for the visit itself are fairly minimal in the grand scheme of things, because the gig took place in the middle of our vacation.

There’s a first for everything. I’ve never stayed at an Airbnb before. I’ve never gone on a trip with just friends before. And I’ve never been to AniMinneapolis. But that was the plan for the weekend. A few of our friends from out of town were coming to visit and we had all signed up for the full 3-day pass for the 2026 AniMinneapolis Convention ending on Mother’s Day.

Of course, Jose and I were aware that we also would have to put the con on pause to visit the Givens Collection for our Year-Long gig with Go Back & Fetch It, but we figured it would be easy enough to make work. On paper, it sounded like the perfect little vacation.

And it was…though I’m not sure I can say the same for the con itself, which turned out to be a bit of a disaster…

Day 1 | AniMinneapolis

I’ll start with the positives:

The Artist Alley was fun. There were plenty of good vendors with exciting art and wares, and of course a wide selection of pins and stickers to choose from. And then there was the Isekai Fantasy: Crypt of the Warlock Fiend Escape Room. That was genuinely one of the highlights of the weekend.

And that’s about it for the pros. Despite being there for 3 days, the Artist Alley and the Escape room were really the only offerings we were able to partake in and enjoy. In spite of it being the reason we’d gotten together, most of the best memories from the trip happened outside of or in spite of it.

Jose and I took the boys to Eat Street Crossing, a personal favorite which always has great food, and options for folks with varying tastes. Meanwhile, back at the Airbnb, we played Beyblade, Magic: The Gathering, and a little bit of Death Road to Canada.

But, in the middle of all this convention chaos…or lack therof Jose and I also had work to do.

Day 2 | The Givens Collection

On the second day, Jose and I started out with our gig before heading back to the con. So, we dropped by 7 Corners Coffeeon our way and went to film The Givens Collection experience.

Having the opportunity to explore The Givens Collection was a powerful experience, It was deeply moving for everyone in the cohort, and especially me and Jose. It felt like a long time coming, too. This was my 2nd year going through the Go Back & Fetch It program - During the first year I was there as a fellow, and due to bad storms around the time we were meant to visit the collection, the inaugural cohort didn’t get the chance to see The Givens Collection as originally planned. So, for me in particular, it was something I’d been anticipating for whole year, and now I got to experience it with Jose by my side, too.

The shift in energy was palpable. From trying to find fun with friends through frustrating or downright uninteresting experiences at the con, to sleepy morning coffee (Honey Bun Coffee, I might add <3) and then suddenly we were thrust into a room full of Black literary history, and bold, empowering history at that.

The session was guided by Davu Underwood Seru, who spoke to the cohort about the history of the Givens Collection, the importance of preserving Black history, and things I’ve already covered in the main article.

Davu Underwood Seru and Hana Worku in the elevator at Elmer L. Anderson Library

The collection itself was fascinating. I found myself particularly drawn to the book A Long Way from Home by Claude McKay. I’ve always been an avid reader, and while I’ve mostly read contemporary novels, I’ve read the odd old tale, and of course some of the unavoidable classics. So, I had in mind both a knowledge of modern prose and classic prose, but it was my first time reading such an old novel written by a Black author. I was deeply curious about how McKay’s writing voice would sound. A Long Way from Home happens to be a bit of globe-trotting journey, too in a way, so seeing these different parts of the world through a classic Black author’s perspective and experience had also piqued my interest.

Davu encouraged the fellows to use their phones to look up more information on the books and artifacts after making our initial observations. Not wanting to damage the book, I primarily focused my attention on mobile research, and also put the physical book back in its place in case someone else wanted to look at it. As I was exploring online, I happened to, ironically, find the book available to read for free on Google Books. During the tour, Davu had discussed the fact that Elmer L. Andersen Library was where much of the scanning and digitization of the books on Google Books happened. So I’d ended up finding the same copy of the book online and was able to read it digitally.

In the meantime, Jose looked at the Sugarhill Gang record Davu had donated, but later he took a look at God is for White folks (or “Love Knows No Barriers”) by Will Thomas.

When the moment came for Davu to share with us the collection’s first edition of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley, I could feel the power the book radiated. It was unlike something I’ve experienced before, but I can’t deny that I felt it. Jose opted not to touch it, choosing to honor it from a distance. For a while, I thought I’d do the same. I didn’t feel the need to touch it, because I could already feel its power from where I was.

I watched as fellows went up to Davu, one by one for their chance to hold the book. Some cried. I watched my sister examine it inquisitively. I watched Jose view it from afar, hands behind their back. And eventually I decided to hold it, myself. When I had my chance, I looked at it like my sister had. For me it felt just as powerful from afar as it did up close, so, since I wasn’t compelled to tears, the only thing left for me to do was to examine it.

It was profound, and it was undeniable.

It felt strange to go through such an enlightening and impactful experience that was totally separated from our friends back at the Airbnb, it’s the kind of cultural awakening that’s hard to capture in words. There was so much gravity and meaning…

…and then back to disappointing con shenanigans.

An Unconventional Smorgiesbord

When Jose and I were finished at The Givens Collection, we returned to the boys and the con…

…and almost immediately left again because we were hungry and needed actual food.

Following our friend’s lead, we took a trek across Minneapolis to eat at Smorgie’s. I can’t put into words just how good the food was. Along with my burger, I ordered a round of Sour Cream stuffed Churros. I’d shared them with my friends and Jose loved them so much they had to stop themself from finishing off my entire basket. After Jose realized I hadn’t actually gotten any for myself yet, they went ahead and ordered an additional basket to share with the group.

It was also at Smorgie’s that our group officially signed up for the Isekai Fantasy Escape room. Using their online registration site, we chose our classes (I picked one of the Isekai classes: a Psychic Teenager) and Jose chose to be a Paladin. Our party also included an Evil Clown, a Druid and a Sage. Our quest didn’t start until later in the evening, so we had a lot of time to kill.

That time ended up being spent with a lot of walking, a lot of heat, and a lot of trying to figure out what anyone in the group was actually interested in seeing at the con. After another round through the artist alley, we decided to get a head start standing in line to wait for the Cosplay Contest, which was the only other entertainment that had piqued our interest beyond the Escape Room. I felt bad for some of the actors that were present for visits and autographs. With the way the convention had been laid out this year, the line for the cosplay contest ripped right through the middle of their space.

…and we continued to wait…

We spent far too long in line for the cosplay contest, only to bail after the event was delayed due to technical issues and low participation that ended up not being able to fill the whole hour. It was a shame, because we’d seen a fair bit of good cosplay around, from a Springtrap suit that came with its own ambient music to a Caine and Pomni from the Amazing Digital Circus doing a photoshoot on the stairs. There was even a pretty good Leon Kennedy just ahead of us when we were in the line.

But after that ordeal, and our disapointment in the rest of the con, tired, and grumpy we moved to the hotel lobby and chilled there until it was time to get Isekai’d.

That time I got Reincarnated as a Psychic Teenager

Out of respect for the craft and the program itself, I won’t get too in-depth on the details of the escape room. If you’re curious, it’s definitely something you should experience yourself if you have the opportunity.

The escape room was genuinely impressive. Since it was a pop-up experience, I didn’t expect massive set pieces or anything like that, but they made a little go a long way. They had some really elaborate game systems and cause/effect mechanics and devices, it was really cool and the story was a lot of fun, too.

There was one hiccup where a kid dressed as Goku briefly joined our group, then left early, but his character was still registered as part of our party. Because of that, the game thought we already had access to an ability we needed to progress, even though none of us could actually use it. Once we figured out what was happening, the Game Master removed his in-game character from the party and we were able to move forward.

Other than that, the experience was pretty seamless.

Well, except for one friend touching things he wasn’t supposed to touch.

And accidentally taking one of the artifacts with him when we left.

Day 3 | Mother’s Day

By the 3rd and final day, we’d pretty much given up on the con. We may have had the 3-day passes, but there was so little of interest to do that none of us were motivated to try for day 3.

Not to mention it was Mother’s Day, frankly a baffling scheduling conflict on the organizer’s part.

So, we decided to end the trip a little early and I became my own gift for Mother’s Day

(just kidding, I bought my mom a Cozy Farming Game candle at the con, it had a very Autumnal Pumpkin-Spice scent).

On the way back, Jose and I dropped by Bichota Coffee, one of our favorite spots in St. Paul.

Then I got to come home to surprise my mom for Mother’s Day.

Prose and Con(vention)s: