Free admission | Family-friendly | Hosted by Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

Jay B. Kalagayan is the owner and writer of Cincinnati-based Creative Mussel Productions, an independent graphic novel publisher dedicated to supporting diverse artists. Spanning sci-fi thrillers, haunting folklore, and historical non-fiction, the company spotlights underrepresented narratives.

Kalagayan will speak on the origins of the company as well as his work as a writer which includes his flagship series, MeSseD Comics, that follows Lilah, a sewer worker navigating the complex underworld of Cincinnati’s infrastructure and Filipino Assassin, which chronicling the life of local boxer and WWII soldier Vincent Manago Hambright. His latest graphic novel, St. Malo, explores the 18th-century Filipino settlement in Louisiana.