News and Events

The students in JAPN 290 (Reading The Tale of Genji in English) are inviting the Middlebury community to view their exhibit, “Ephemeral and Eternal: The Tale of Genji in Contemporary Japanese Culture,” opening Monday, December 11 on the upper floor of the Davis Library (the enclosed cabinets and open shelves next to the elevator).

This exhibit was curated in memory of their friend and classmate, Ivan Valerio (class of 2026).

A brochure for visitors will also be available in the library

Miri Yu, noted Korean-Japanese writer, will meet with students, staff, and faculty colleagues for an informal discussion of her career and her new novel, The End of August. She is the guest of the Japanese Studies Department and the Language Schools.

Enrique Garcia, Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies
“The Representation of Japanese Culture in Comic Books from the Americas: From Orientalist Narratives to New Globalized Aesthetics”

Please join us for a participatory workshop with Stuart Paton of Burlington Taiko Group! To kick off the Mahaney Arts Center’s 30^th anniversary, Burlington Taiko will on campus for a weeklong residency. This Lunch and Learn is a chance for you to learn about the Japanese art form of Taiko, and even play the drums yourself! This event is open to Middlebury College faculty and staff.

Kofi Bazzell-Smith will share his knowledge about manga techniques that he learnt under the tutelage of Japanese artists and will teach the audience how to draw Japanese comic books.

Kofi Bazzell-Smith is an artist, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, and a professional boxer. Pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in New Media, Kofi is currently a Mellon Foundation Interseminars Initiative Fellow with the Humanities Research Institution.