Zack Davisson

“...a modern day Lafcadio Hearn is picking up this ghostly torch. Zack Davisson is the author, translator, and folklorist following in Hearn's footsteps.” - - Tofugu

Zack Davisson is an award-winning writer, translator, and folklorist. He has played a significant role in making Japanese folklore, entertainment, and literature accessible to English-speaking audiences.

Respected in both academic and popular culture circles for his knowledge of translation and cultural history, Davisson is a regular lecturer at universities, museums, and cultural institutes, as well as appearing on podcasts and at comic and anime conventions. He is on faculty at NYU in the Translation and Interpretations department.

Current projects include ULTIMATE X-MEN for Marvel Comics, CAT + CRAZY for Dark Horse, and THE ART OF SHIGERU MIZUKI for Drawn and Quarterly.

Davisson has worked with National Geographic and the Smithsonian, and has been featured on NPR, the BBC, and The New York Times. His original works have been translated into multiple languages.

Zack Davisson at Duke University, presenting a comic strip containing both Japanese and English text. Zack Davisson is pointing at the slide, engaging with the audience in a classroom or lecture setting.
Book cover titled "The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai," featuring a stylized illustration of a creature with animal features, surrounded by a surreal checkered hallway. Published by Tuttle.

TRANSLATOR

Book cover of 'I Am a Cat: The Manga Edition' by Sōseki Natsume, featuring a large, red-striped cat illustration with Japanese text on the left and a small illustration of people and a cat on the right, set against a yellow background.

MEDIA

Selected Works

Writer

Zack Davisson got his start as a professional writer in Japan, working for magazines such as JapanZine and Kansai Time-Out. He wrote one of the first English-language articles on Aokigahara, which has since become famous as the Suicide Woods of Mt. Fuji

Davisson published his first book, Yurei: The Japanese Ghost in 2015. Since then he has continued to write, contributing to magazines, online publications, as well as writing original books. He has written for publications such as Smithsonian Magazine, Anime News Network, The Comics Journal, and World Literature Today.

Davisson’s book Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan was selected by St. Petersburg college as their SPC Reads book of 2024, joining such titles as Becoming by Michelle Obama and I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. His books have been translated into multiple languages.

Davisson is also active in the American comics industry, writing for series such as X-Men, Wayward, Usagi Yojimbo, and Conan, as well as writing flavor text for Magic: The Gathering cards. 

Zack Davisson is represented by Eve White Literary Agency.

Lecturer / Panelist

Zack Davisson is a skilled and entertaining presenter, qualified to give lectures and convention panels on Japanese folklore, manga, Japanese history, and translation theory and practice. He is a popular guest at conventions worldwide as well as lecturing at universities, museums, and cultural centers.

  • Duke University - Translation Symposium

  • UCLA - Humor in the Supernatural

  • AnimeNYC - A History of Manga by Decade

  • Ohio State University - Manga Translation 101

  • Art Gallery of New South Wales - A Brief History of Yokai

  • AnimeBoston - The Legacy of Matsumoto Leiji

  • Heroes Made in Asia: Utrecht - Japan Supernatural

  • Japan Society of New York - Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan

  • Japan Society of Sydney - Masters of Monsters: A History of Horror Manga

  • Museum of International Folklore - Japan Supernatural

  • Världskulturmuseerna, Stokholm - The Life of Mizuki Shigeru

  • AnimeLA - A Brief History of the Edo period

  • Michigan State University - Japanese Popular Culture & Transmedia Translation

  • Emerald City Comic Con - Yokai-Kaiju

  • San Diego Comic Con - Cats! Comics! Cats!

Panel discussion at Anime NYC event, featuring Zack Davisson seated at a table, with an audience in the foreground. The background displays a banner with the Anime NYC logo.

Lecturer / Panelist

Zack Davisson is a skilled and entertaining presenter, qualified to give lectures and convention panels on Japanese folklore, manga, Japanese history, and translation theory and practice. He is a popular guest at conventions worldwide as well as lecturing at universities, museums, and cultural centers.

  • Duke University - Translation Symposium

  • UCLA - Humor in the Supernatural

  • AnimeNYC - A History of Manga by Decade

  • Ohio State University - Manga Translation 101

  • Art Gallery of New South Wales - A Brief History of Yokai

  • AnimeBoston - The Legacy of Matsumoto Leiji

  • Heroes Made in Asia: Utrecht - Japan Supernatural

  • Japan Society of New York - Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan

  • Japan Society of Sydney - Masters of Monsters: A History of Horror Manga

  • Museum of International Folklore - Japan Supernatural

  • Världskulturmuseerna, Stokholm - The Life of Mizuki Shigeru

  • AnimeLA - A Brief History of the Edo period

  • Michigan State University - Japanese Popular Culture & Transmedia Translation

  • Emerald City Comic Con - Yokai-Kaiju

  • San Diego Comic Con - Cats! Comics! Cats!

Panel discussion at Anime NYC event, featuring Zack Davisson seated at a table, with an audience in the foreground. The background displays a banner with the Anime NYC logo.

Follow Zack on Social Media

Two people in costumes at a convention, one dressed as a superhero with a lightning bolt logo and white cape, the other in a bee-themed outfit with goggles.
A person smiling with facial piercings, holding a small dog in front of a red wall.
Person holding a sword, wearing a "Dungeon Master" shirt, in a room with shelves and stuffed animals.
Person in mirror wearing a kilt and holding a sword, standing in a room with wooden floors and a chandelier.

Contact Zack

If you would like to contact Zack Davisson to hire him for translation or writing work, or to invite him as a speaker, this is the place to do it.