Stephanie Land is an American author and activist whose writing focuses on social and economic justice, as well as parenting under the poverty line. Her debut book, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, was a #2 New York Times bestseller and adapted into a limited series on Netflix. The book details Land’s personal experience with poverty, relying on government assistance programs to support herself and her daughter. Maid has sold half a million copies worldwide and has been translated into 30 languages. It received critical acclaim, garnering a place in the New York Times 100 Notable Books and was included on Barack Obama’s “Summer Reading List” of 2019.

The Netflix series adaptation, Maid, reached 67 million households in its first four weeks and became the streaming service’s fourth most-watched show in 2021. The National Domestic Violence Hotline was mentioned after each episode of Maid and received more calls in the month of its premiere than any other month in its entire 25-year history. Maid continues to have a cult following through TikTok and beyond, earning over 60 million hours of viewing in the first six months of 2023.

Land’s second book, Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education debuted in November 2023 as Good Morning America’s Book of the Month, was named as one of the best books of 2023 by Amazon, and nominated for a Reading the West award in Biography/Memoir. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly heralded it as “Eye-opening and heartrending, Class will provide succor for readers who’ve faced similar hardships and essential education for anyone who hasn’t. It’s another stirring personal history from one of the foremost chroniclers of 21^st-century economic anxiety.” Class follows Land’s senior year in college and her daughter’s first year of kindergarten, noting the parallels between the two’s experiences as they faced socioeconomic barriers to get themselves to class.

Land is a frequent speaker at colleges and national advocacy organizations, and her work has been featured in numerous outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. As a public speaker, Land has appeared in front of audiences over 100 times since 2018, earning standing ovations from more than 100,000 people. 

She gives keynote appearances for domestic violence organizations, non-profits whose focus is on homelessness and food insecurity, businesses seeking diversity training, and colleges who have featured her books as a First Year Read for their freshman students. 

Land is an arts and entertainment ambassador for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Working to build respect, recognition, and rights for more than 2.2 million nannies, housecleaners, and home care workers who do the essential work of caring for our loved ones and our homes.