Gene Luen Yang (http://geneyang.com) is the 2017 recipient of the St. Katharine Drexel Award. Yang is a well-known cartoonist and graphic novelist, whose 2006 American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel nominated for a National Book Award, and the first ALA Printz Award winner. Since then, his books have been nominated for and won numerous other honors and awards.

Yang is also a Catholic, and his many works are several with Catholic themes. In The Monkey King, Yang replaces Buddha, from the original story, with a Christian deity. The Rosary Comic Book (Pauline Books & Media, 2003) is a graphic novel depicting the stories behind the mysteries of the rosary.