Bridging Difference:

John Slatin Changed Everything

by Lisa Justine Hernandez

How can I explain how Dr. John Slatin influenced the way I think about Chicana feminist literature? As his student and research assistant, I played with new technologies to create Macromind Director projects and HyperCard stacks.
With his support, my dissertation included an online web chapter, CONNECTed Voices. He encouraged my integration of Chicana literary studies with the quickly growing electronic media options.

I recently completed an online searchable database for the Chicana/Latina Studies journal because of my work with the John in CWRL at the University of Texas at Austin. This database project is the initial phase of a larger, ongoing project This Bridge Called Cyberspace. This Bridge will provide online accessibility and search capabilities for print-based publications by women, people of color, and other social-identity groups.

This cyber-journey is detailed with the memories of John's kind influence and gentle persuasion on my creativity as a graduate student.