GIVEAWAY: How much do you know about the challenges that single mothers and domestic workers face each day?
Discover more from Stephanie Land's Newsletter
GIVEAWAY: How much do you know about the challenges that single mothers and domestic workers face each day?
Housing Iowa Conference, New York Times Fall Preview, Roxane Gay's review of Class, and more!
Hello Friends,
This week, Stephanie was the keynote speaker at the Housing Iowa Conference. She spoke about the impact that housing and food insecurity has on a person’s mental health to a room full of housing professionals and community leaders. Afterwards, she signed copies of Maid, selling out of all the event’s available copies. It was a wonderful event and Stephanie is happy to be home!
In Class news, the book was featured in the New York Times Fall Preview. They wrote, “In this follow-up to “Maid,” a best-selling memoir about her grueling life as a domestic worker in Washington State, Land recounts the years in which she juggled her pursuit of a writing career with the reality of life as a single parent “who struggled to make ends meet in endless, sometimes impossible ways.”
Shelf Awareness also published a book review of Class, saying, “Class is as infuriating as it is inspiring, and it should be considered required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in narratives of wealth and work, the lived experience of prejudicial U.S. safety net systems, or social justice.”
Additionally, the National Domestic Workers Alliance is giving away a galley of Class in addition to a signed copy of Maid. How much do you know about the challenges that single mothers and domestic workers face each day? Take their short quiz and get entered to win.
And finally, Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist, wrote a thoughtful review of Class. She said, “Land is a great writer, particularly when conveying the relentless nature of poverty and the systems that work against women, especially. What works well in Class is showing how challenging it is to be poor and a single parent. The loneliness and the hunger, both literal and metaphorical, are well conveyed. And affecting. The book is the most powerful when Land articulates how the rules can be so very different for the poor, how every choice is judged.
As she details the challenges she faces going to school and raising her daughter Emilia and having a life of her own, many readers will judge her choices. That’s what memoir does in part—it allows us to share our truths but it also opens those truths up to the judgments of strangers.
It’s important, I think, for readers to ask themselves why they would judge her choices. Poverty doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to make messy romantic choices. It doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to go to college or get a nice haircut. And so I also admired how this book will serve as quite the mirror for the inherent biases many people hold about who can do what and why.”
Thank you, Roxane!
XOXO
Team Stephanie
Iowa Homeless Youth Centers (IHYC) is an organization that works to eliminate homelessness among children, youth, and young families in Central Iowa. Their dedicated staff provides case management and advocacy to youth ages 16-24, helping them find stability and plan for a successful future. With support, they believe youth experiencing homelessness can attain self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty.
Their programs include:
Counseling Services - The IHYC team includes licensed mental health therapists who offer a myriad of behavioral health services to help individuals and families overcome their obstacles. Learn more.
Foster Care Advocacy & Aftercare - IHYC provides support to young adults who have experienced foster care or other out-of-home placement, helping them move toward stability and self-sufficiency. Learn more.
Homeless Youth Services - IHYC provides drop-in services, emergency beds, and street outreach to youth living without safe, stable housing in the Des Moines metro. Learn more.
Post-Secondary Education Retention - A partnership of IHYC and the United Way of Center Iowa, this program helps young adults to successfully complete their education goals through case management, tutors, financial assistance, and more. Learn more.
Supportive Housing - IHYC offers individualized support and rental assistance for young adults experiencing homelessness. Learn more.
If you’d like to donate or volunteer at the IHYC, you can do so here!
That’s all for this week, folks! Remember to follow Stephanie on all your favorite social media platforms @Stepville