“I think there's a huge gap between no longer qualifying for benefits and being able to afford a life without benefits. When I went off government assistance - six months before I got the book deal - there were some months that were lean, I mean literally lean, like I lost a lot of weight. I could barely afford food.”

American author and public speaker

Stephanie Land is an American author and public speaker. She is known for writing memoirs about poverty, motherhood, and the work of surviving on the margins, including Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive in 2019. That book was later adapted into the Netflix miniseries Maid in 2021. Her second memoir, Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education, appeared in 2023 and continues her focus on single parenting, poverty, and the strain of pursuing college. She has also written articles on maid service work, domestic abuse, and poverty in the United States.