Keynote: Manga as a Global Form

Presenter Information

• Kofi Bazzell-Smith, Rochester Institute of Technology

Location

West Reading Room

Event Website

kofimanga.com

Start Date

26-9-2026 10:30 AM

End Date

26-9-2026 11:30 AM

Description

Join us for the first Keynote of the day and learn about manga with artist Kofi Bazzell-Smith, the first professor of manga in the United States. Mr. Bazzell-Smith will discuss manga from a creative research/cultural exchange perspective, providing some historical context.

Comments

Kofi Bazzell-Smith

Kofi Bazzell‑Smith is an artist, educator, martial artist, and former professional boxer specializing in Japanese manga. He is the first professor of Japanese manga practice in the United States, teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Trained in Japan and fluent in the language, Bazzell‑Smith creates bilingual, cross‑cultural manga and is represented by Writers House Literary Agency for his upcoming graphic novel AZUKI- a martial arts parody set in a world where Rock‑Paper‑Scissors is a serious combat discipline. Drawing from his background in martial arts and professional boxing, the project blends manga sensibilities, Japanese aesthetics, Chinese Kungfu tropes, and Black diasporic history.

Bazzell‑Smith serves on the board of directors for the United States–Japan Bridging Foundation and is a 2025–26 delegate to the US–Japan Leadership Program. His work has been featured on ABEMA News, NHK Global, and Fuji TV, and he has given talks at institutions including Princeton, UCLA, Middlebury College, UT Austin, The Asia Society, and the International House of Japan.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.