BOOK TALK: Skiing Into the Bright Open, by Liv Arnesen

913 East Franklin Avenue,Minneapolis MN 55404

12 August, 2021

Description

The first woman to ski solo to the South Pole tells the story of what it took to get there. Norway House's 2020 Going Viking Honoree, Liv Arnesen will give a presentation about her new book, Skiing Into the Bright Open, detailing her solo journey to the South Pole. Following the presentation, there will be a moderated discussion and question/answer session with Liv led by Mark Ritchie, former Minnesota Secretary of State and President of Global Minnesota. The book will be released for purchase on Thursday, July 15. Get your book ahead of the event, or purchase one when you arrive. About the Book At home in Norway, it is eight o’clock on Christmas Eve night, but ahead, at the Amundsen–Scott base that has been visible for hours, it is already early in the morning of Christmas Day when Liv Arnesen, after skiing solo for 745 miles in fifty days, finally arrives. She had been dreaming of the South Pole for most of her forty-one years, and now, even in her joy at having reached her goal in December 1994, she has to ask herself: what took you so long? In Skiing into the Bright Open Arnesen describes the exhausting, exhilarating experience of being the first known woman to ski unsupported to the South Pole. She also answers her own question, framing her account of her historic expedition with her longtime struggle to find the freedom and confidence to follow her dreams into uncharted territory. From her childhood in Norway to the seasons she spent working as a guide on Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Arnesen courted the cold, and her memoir reflects the knowledge and passion for Arctic and Antarctic exploration that grew with her adventures in the wintry reaches of Norway and beyond. Tracing her path from the heroic stories of explorers like Fridtjof Nansen and Ernest Shackleton to her own crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap in 1992, Arnesen credits the inspiring feats of those who preceded her but also describes the obstacles—including niggling self-doubt—that tradition, convention, and downright prejudice put in her way as she endeavored to find the support and sponsorship granted to men in her field. A tale of solitary adventure in the bleak and beautiful bone-chilling cold of Antarctica, Skiing into the Bright Open tells a story of gritty determination, thrilling achievement, and perseverance in the face of near despair and daunting odds; it is, ultimately, an object lesson in the power of a dream if one is willing to pursue it to the ends of the earth. About the Author Liv Arnesen is a world-renowned explorer, lecturer, author, and educator whose expeditions have been featured by the BBC, CNN, NPR, NBC Nightly News, and NBC’s Today Show, as well as in the New York Times, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and O, The Oprah Magazine. With Ann Bancroft, she wrote No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey across Antarctica (Minnesota, 2019) and founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore, a nonprofit dedicated to global water sustainability, with expeditions planned through 2027 to raise awareness through education and storytelling. She lives near Oslo, Norway. NORWAY HOUSE CONNECTS THE UNITED STATES WITH CONTEMPORARY NORWAY THROUGHARTS | BUSINESS | CULTURE As the window to contemporary Norway, Norway House is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that partners with businesses, organizations, and the community to celebrate a shared heritage. Norway House is a destination for the community with over 40,000 visitors annually. The big, blue Albert Quie Education Center opened its doors at 913 Franklin Ave, Minneapolis in May of 2015, strategically adjacent to Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church in the Ventura Village neighborhood. The location boasts a rich and diverse residential history.  Through our programs—which include the Galleri at Norway House, Minnesota Peace Initiative, and the Edvard Grieg Society of Minnesota—you can experience contemporary art, design, and music. Visitors can engage in discussion about important topics that share links to Norway and the global community.  We serve not only as a center for our programming, but also as a convening space and resource for our business and non-profit partners, locally and globally. In 2017, Norway House was honored with a gift of $5 million in matching grants from the State of Minnesota to expand the current Norway House campus around the entire block. Together, with Mindekirken, The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, this block will solidify it's status as the cultural center for Norwegians in America.