Wildheart

What does it mean to stay wild in a culture that would have us forget that’s what we are? If there’s one thing Jenny O’Connell learned from her 16 years as an outdoor guide, it’s that there’s a critical connection between wild spaces and our wild selves. When Jenny found herself searching for answers, she didn't just take a hike—she went to Finnish Lapland to retrace the 1949 solo journey of mythical folk hero Petronella Van Der Moer. An adventure memoir, Wildheart is a story of where life can take you when you listen to your heart and enter the wild. From the southern highways near Helsinki to the boulder-studded fjelds of Lemmenjoki National Park—where Jenny stays with modern-day gold prospectors—this beautifully written story explores our relationship to risk and intuition, provides sharp inquiry into what it is to be a woman making her way in the male-dominated world, and interrogates the inherited fears that try to convince us to keep our lives small. Gutsy, funny, and intimately told, this memoir combines elements of Tracks and Women Who Run With the Wolves—but with a big red backpack and an outdoor twist. Jenny O’Connell has spent over 16 years leading global backpacking, sea kayaking, and river expeditions, helping people connect to their courage through outdoor adventure. Jenny is a 2017 Stonecoast MFA graduate from the University of Southern Maine, was a Seguinland Institute visiting professor, and has taught creative writing workshops at Hugo House, Stonecoast, and Maine Media. Exploring themes of solo travel, vulnerability, and risk through a feminist lens, her writing focuses on the intersections of wilderness and humanity. Jenny also writes Wild Story, a Substack collection of essays dedicated to staying wild, tender, awake, and deeply connected in today’s world. © 2027 Jenny O'Connell (P) 2027 DK Audio