Stephanie Land, author of New York Times bestseller “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” will give a talk Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 175, Knight Law Center.

Land's memoir details her life as a single mother on the edge of poverty, navigating the bureaucracy of government assistance and cleaning houses for wages that barely pay for gas.

After years of trying to better her situation, Land applied to and attended the University of Montana, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English in 2014. She now works as a freelance writer, focusing on economic and social justice, domestic abuse, chronic illness and motherhood and has been published many outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vox and Salon.

She worked with Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote the foreword for “Maid,” at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and is a writing fellow at the Center for Community Change.

"Stephanie Land's experience explodes the myth that Americans living below the poverty line can improve their lot simply by working hard," said Wayne Morse Center co-director Rebecca Flynn. "We are extremely fortunate to host her as part of the Margaret Hallock Program for Women’s Rights."

Named for the Wayne Morse Center's founding director, the Margaret Hallock Program for Women’s Rights promotes discussion about women's access to education and economic security.

The event is free and open to the public. Copies of “Maid” will be available for purchase.