Gerald Lyn Early was born April 21, 1952 in Philadelphia, PA. He is an American essayist and American culture critic. He is currently 2018 the Merle Kling Professor of Modern letters, of English, African studies, African American studies, American culture studies, and Director, Center for Joint Projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, Photo credit: circa 2018 Washington University in St. Louis