'Maid' author Stephanie Land to speak at Centralia College Nov. 3

Centralia College will host bestselling author Stephanie Land for a free community presentation from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in the Corbet Theatre inside Washington Hall, a news release from the college stated.

Tickets are available online at www.centralia.edu. The event is free, but donations to the college’s student food pantry are appreciated.

A book signing and reception will follow the formal presentation.

Stephanie Land’s bestselling debut memoir, “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” recounts her experiences as a single mom navigating poverty, the release stated. Her testimony exposes the physical, economic and social brutality that domestic workers face, while retaining a parent’s hope and dedication, the release stated.

At age 28, Land’s dream of attending college and becoming a writer is deferred when she and her 7-month-old have to move into a homeless shelter, fleeing a violent home and lacking any form of reliable safety net, according to the release. She begins applying for food stamps and subsidized housing and starts cleaning houses for $9 an hour.

Mired in government processes and paltry wages, she illustrates the trauma of grasping for stability from a rigged system and demonstrates how hard work doesn’t always pay off, according to the release. 

Maid has sold more than half a million copies worldwide, earning notable book of the year nods from The New York Times and The Washington Post. Land’s story was also the inspiration for Netflix’s Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated original series “Maid,” starring Margaret Qualley, Andie MacDowell, Nick Robinson and Anika Noni Rose, according to the release.

The release also states that in Land’s second memoir, “Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education,” she picks up where Maid left off as she faces the new challenges of being a poor college student and single parent. She faced barriers at every turn, including a byzantine loan system, not having enough money for food and navigating the judgments of professors and fellow students who didn’t understand the demands of attending college while under the poverty line, the release stated.