The character arc of Stephanie Land

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born in September 1978, and brought up between Washington state and Anchorage, Alaska. Between then and now sit years working as a maid while raising two children alone, a degree in English and creative writing at the University of Montana in May 2014, a writing fellowship, Maid on 22 January 2019, a Netflix series on 1 October 2021 and Class on 7 November 2023. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Stephanie Land?

She finished the degree while cleaning houses.

She grew up between Washington state and Anchorage, Alaska. For years she worked as a maid, cleaning other people's houses, while raising two children as a single mother. That is the part of the line that most people would describe as the obstacle, and it is the part the whole of her work is made of.

She took a degree in English and creative writing at the University of Montana in May 2014, in her mid thirties, and held a writing fellowship with the Center for Community Change. She has worked as an author and public speaker since.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive was published on 22 January 2019 and became a bestseller. Netflix adapted it as a ten part limited series released on 1 October 2021, with Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell, and it became one of the platform's most watched limited series. Class, a second memoir about motherhood, hunger and going to university, followed on 7 November 2023. She owns a home in Missoula, Montana, which is the quietest sentence in her biography and by some distance the most significant.

The moments

Stephanie Land's timeline.

The 2010s

Jun 2010

Cleaning other people's houses

Setback, and it changed everything. Years of low paid work, and two children, and no second adult in the house.

1 Jun 2011

Keep working, or study too

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: take the degree as well, taken, or keep the hours. Maid was published five years later, adapted by Netflix, and followed by a second memoir about the degree itself.

May 2014

The degree, finished

Milestone, and it changed everything. A degree finished in her mid thirties, with everything else still going on.

Jun 2016

A writing fellowship

Milestone, and it changed her direction. A fellowship, which is the first time the writing paid.

22 Jan 2019

Maid

Milestone, and it changed everything. Five years after the degree, a bestseller about the years before it.

The 2020s

1 Oct 2021

Maid, on Netflix

Milestone, and it changed everything. Ten episodes, and one of the most watched limited series Netflix has had.

Jun 2022

A house in Missoula

Milestone, and it changed everything. The quietest sentence in her biography, and by some distance the most significant.

7 Nov 2023

Class

Milestone, and it changed her direction. A second memoir, about the degree and what it cost to get.

The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is a clear account of what low paid work actually costs, written by somebody who did it, and read by millions of people who had never had to.

What she wrote

Books by Stephanie Land

2019
Maid
Hard work, low pay, and a mother's will to survive. Adapted by Netflix in 2021 as a ten part limited series.
2023
Class
A memoir of motherhood, hunger and higher education. The story of the degree itself, and what it cost to get.

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Stephanie Land: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Stephanie Land's character arc?

Years cleaning other people's houses while raising two children alone, a degree in English and creative writing finished in her mid thirties, a bestselling memoir about those years, and a Netflix series watched by millions.

What is Maid by Stephanie Land?

Her memoir, published on 22 January 2019 and subtitled hard work, low pay, and a mother's will to survive. It became a bestseller and Netflix adapted it as a ten episode limited series in 2021.

Is the Netflix series Maid based on Stephanie Land?

Yes, on her memoir of the same name. The ten episode limited series was released on 1 October 2021, starred Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell, and became one of the platform's most watched limited series.

What is Class by Stephanie Land?

Her second memoir, published on 7 November 2023 and subtitled a memoir of motherhood, hunger and higher education. Where Maid is about the work, this one is about the degree and what getting it cost.

Where did Stephanie Land study?

At the University of Montana, where she took a degree in English and creative writing in May 2014, in her mid thirties, while raising two children and working. She later held a fellowship with the Center for Community Change.

Where is Stephanie Land from?

She was born in September 1978 and grew up between Washington state and Anchorage, Alaska. The public record does not give a finer birth date than the month, or name a birthplace. She now lives in Missoula, Montana.

Did Stephanie Land work as a maid?

Yes, for years, while raising two children as a single mother. It is the subject of her first memoir, and the reason a great many readers who had never done that work understood for the first time what it costs.

Where does this timeline of Stephanie Land's life come from?

From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Stephanie Land isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

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Sources

Stephanie Land, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
Publisher records for Maid, 22 January 2019, and Class, 7 November 2023.
Netflix, Maid limited series, released 1 October 2021.