For correctional officers, leaving work at the end of a shift doesn’t always mean leaving the job behind. The experiences, stress and emotional demands of working inside a correctional facility can follow officers home, making it difficult to separate their professional responsibilities from their personal lives.
For Kenn Phillips, a 20-year corrections veteran, writing has provided an outlet for the pressures of the profession while allowing him to maintain an identity beyond the uniform.
“The uniform is the job — writing is who I am when the uniform comes off,” Phillips says. “No matter what shift I’m working, there’s always a story going in my head. That’s what keeps me Kenn Phillips and not just the job.”
What began with his first novel, “LOST,” started in 2008 and completed in 2009, has grown into a creative pursuit spanning fantasy novels, poetry, children’s books, songwriting and his latest novel, “Another Christmas Song,” scheduled for release November 17.
But for Phillips, writing has never been simply about publishing books. It has also been a way to navigate the emotional demands of corrections.
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Finding an outlet for the weight of the job
“Corrections is a heavy job, and you carry things home with you whether you mean to or not,” Phillips says. “Writing gives me somewhere to put that.”
Some of those experiences find their way into his poetry, which he describes as the place where he expresses thoughts and feelings he cannot communicate any other way.
One poem, The Darkness, addresses what Phillips describes as the value of putting dark thoughts on paper rather than allowing them to fester in his mind.
Phillips also spent 10 years as a peer support member with his agency’s Critical Incident Stress Management team, listening to fellow officers following difficult calls.
That experience gave him another perspective on the emotional burdens correctional professionals carry and the importance of finding healthy ways to manage them.
“Writing doesn’t fix everything, but sitting down and getting it out of my head and onto the page — that helps,” he says.
Creativity can strengthen the work, too
Phillips believes his imagination also influences how he approaches his work in corrections.
Writing fiction requires him to develop characters, understand their motivations and imagine circumstances different from his own. He sees a connection between that creative process and his interactions with incarcerated people.
“Being able to imagine your way into somebody else’s head helps me understand a little better what offenders might be feeling or thinking, and that makes me better at the work.”
His writing has taken him in several directions. His fantasy series, The Raven and the Paladin, allows him to create entirely new worlds. His children’s books draw inspiration from his own children, while his second poetry collection, Silhouettes, is dedicated to his late mother.
His latest novel grew out of an unexpected creative progression. After writing “22 Stars,” a song addressing veteran suicide, Phillips gained the confidence to write a Christmas song. That project eventually developed into Another Christmas Song, a novel exploring family, forgiveness and second chances.
Helping others find their voices
Phillips hopes his experience can eventually help other veterans and first responders discover writing as an outlet.
His vision for 22RAVENS, a project he hopes to develop further, is to encourage people to tell their stories through poetry, fiction, autobiography or whatever form of writing feels meaningful to them.
“I’ve often thought, what can I do to prevent suicide? Nothing. But I can do something. I can write, and I can help others write.”
Although he has no formal writing degree, Phillips believes his experience with self-publishing could help others who have stories to tell but lack the confidence or knowledge to begin.
The goal is to give veterans and first responders an opportunity to explore writing and develop the confidence to share their work.
Why life outside corrections matters
For Phillips, perhaps the most important lesson from his creative journey is one that has little to do with becoming an author.
He worries that correctional professionals sometimes invest so much of themselves in their careers that they struggle to find meaningful activities and interests when those careers end. His advice is to begin cultivating those interests long before retirement.
“Find one thing that’s yours — something that has nothing to do with the uniform.”
It doesn’t have to be writing, he emphasizes. Golf, hiking, pickleball, volunteering or any other meaningful pursuit can provide a sense of fulfillment outside work. Nor does someone have to be particularly skilled at a new activity to benefit from it.
“Start small, do it for yourself, and give it time,” Phillips says.
He also stresses the importance of seeking support when the emotional demands of the job become overwhelming.
“And if you’re struggling, talk to somebody — I spent ten years on our peer support team, and asking for help is not weakness. It’s how you stay in the fight.”
His final message to fellow correctional officers is simple: Make room for something that belongs to you, both during your career and after it.
“The job will take everything you give it, so you have to save something for yourself on purpose.”