Stephanie Land. American author who writes about poverty in her country. She grew up between Washington and Anchorage, Alaska, in a middle-class home. A car accident at sixteen led to her suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which was later compounded by financial difficulties. At twenty she had her first daughter and she became a single mother, so she went to work in cleaning services to raise her baby. She spent the next few years living below the poverty line and relied on various welfare programs to cover her expenses. She later reflected this in her writings on poverty and public policy. After six years of being raised in Washington and Missoula, thanks to various student loans and scholarships, she was able to move and earn a BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Montana. During her years of study, she published her first texts in blogs, local publications and digital media such as The Huffington Post and Vox. After graduating from the University of Montana, Land was able to stop using food stamps, she began working as a freelance writer and member of the Center for Community Change. She currently continues to write and give talks. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Salon, The Nation, and other outlets.