Looking Back on Both Degrassi and Linda Schuyler
Honorary Alumna Releases New Book The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir
November 22, 2022
Trent honorary alumna, Order of Canada member, and executive producer and co-creator of the multi-award winning Degrassi television franchise, Linda Schuyler, has released a new book, The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir, available now at booksellers everywhere.
Linda, who remains active in the Trent community, is the creative partner and wife to Chancellor Stephen Stohn '66, co-executive producer of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
The book should appeal to those interested in both Degrassi and its creator.
“When I started writing it, I wasn’t sure if I was writing a memoir of my life or a memoir of the show,” she reveals. “But it became clear early on that, for 40 years of my adult life, the Degrassi story and the Linda Schuyler story have been totally intertwined. Readers will get to know more about my background, my past, and how I began my passion for Degrassi; and they’ll learn how the founding principles of Degrassi were laid and how they evolved.”
Dedicated to the art of storytelling, Linda is best known for work that explores the human experience, breaks stereotypes and encourages communications between youth and among youths and adults. As an active member of the Trent community, she continues to forge bonds with young people and students, including as a former guest lecture in the Media Artist in Residence program.
Her emphasis on focusing on students began even before she decided to get involved in television.
“I spent eight years of my life as a junior high school teacher,” she explains. “And I was surprised that there was nothing that told the stories of these students. I wanted to give young people a voice – some way to voice their emotions and stories. And I continue to want to hear and share these voices.”
Consisting of over 500 episodes, the Degrassi franchise (1979-2017), has won the prestigious Peabody Award, two International Emmys, over 25 Gemini/Canadian Screen Awards, two Prix Jeunesse International Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, the Critics’ Choice Award and was nominated four times for a Prime-Time Emmy Award. In 2010, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television honoured Degrassi with a special on-air tribute, and Linda with an Academy Achievement Award.
In 1994, in recognition of her contribution to Canadian television programming, Linda was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2012, she was also appointed to the Order of Ontario, and has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from both Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Toronto.
The Mother of All Degrassi has been included in Trent’s cross-listed Politics/Canadian Studies/History course “Ontario Since 1945 ‘the Common Good’ to ‘common Sense.’”