My World Is Melting

Line Nagell YlvisÅker is an editor, journalist, and nonfiction writer living in the high Arctic. From 2006 to 2018, she worked for the newspaper Svalbardposten, where she received several awards for her writing about Svalbard; since 2023, she has served as Svalbardposten’s editor in chief. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Oslo and lectures on climate change throughout Norway.Kelsey Camacho is a writer and translator who guides expeditions in the polar regions, cares for sled dogs, and leads local writing workshops. Her work can be found in Nowhere Magazine, Bitch Media, Entropy, Portland Review, and elsewhere. Originally from North Carolina, she’s based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

Praise for the Norwegian edition:"Vivid literary nonfiction—filled with poetic, striking and surprising images." —Dagbladet "In Ylvisåker's book, the personal experience of the environmental changes is an excellent framework for communicating. . . . This easy-to-read and engaging book should have great potential to create understanding for the seriousness of the situation." —Klassekampen "A documentary page turner." —Altså magazine   Praise for the German edition:"A story of the climate crisis that is as instructive as it is captivating." —Süddeutsche Zeitung "A gripping, forceful plea against the climate catastrophe." —3SAT "Kulturzeit" "A report from the front on the fight against climate change, enlightening and touching." —Focus "[Ylvisåker's] portrait of residents pinched between floods and receding sea ice is a testament to their love of this vulnerable land that is their home."(The New Yorker) "My World Is Melting is a sobering look at real-time shifts in an Arctic community and the resulting impacts on its residents. Yet, as Ylvisåker writes, 'A part of me clings to the hope that many of the scientists are wrong and that the globe has a magic climate trick up its sleeve.'"(Science) "Elegant. . . . Visceral descriptions of scarred landscapes in the aftermath of avalanches and floods merge with the author's angst at realizing her world is not only changing but becoming more dangerous. This heartbreaking account mourns the passing of a lost world."(Publishers Weekly) "Enlightening. . . . Compelling depictions of the disruptions impacting human settlements, terrain, and wildlife underscore the urgency of addressing climate change while also acknowledging the complexity of finding solutions. My World Is Melting is a fascinating essay collection about life on a remote Norwegian island and the startling impacts of climate change on Arctic communities and ecosystems."(Foreword Reviews) "Astute and stirring. . . . This blend of reportage and rumination makes for an absorbing and crucial read on a topic of increasing significance."(Booklist) "In prose as clear and evocative as the ice that's disappearing from her home, Ylvisåker (in Kelsey Camacho's superb translation) offers an alarming yet hopeful account of how the effects of climate change—from deadly avalanches to tragic polar bear attacks—are reshaping some of Norway's most imperiled places."- Amy Brady, author of Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—A Cool History of a Hot Commodity "Touching and powerful, about changes that affect us all."- Maja Lunde, author of The History of Bees

• Preface Falling Down A Black, Wet Autumn and New Avalanches Sleep, Little Sprout Climate on Speed The Town The Trapper and the Pope Essential Stardust The Mountain Trees of Stone A Great Paradox Royal Unrest The Sea, the Fjords, and the Ice That Disappeared Plants in Ice and Permafrost Almost a Gummy Bear Grandmother in the Snowstorm Can’t Make Everything Safe Into Safe Houses Three Years After Surviving the Avalanche Afterword Update: The Warmest Summer Acknowledgments Sources