All
his life, he’s been on a mission to help those less-fortunate.
While
avenues to achieve that have differed, Ed Griffin has been unwavering
in purpose.
His
professional journey began in 1962 as the priest of a small Roman
Catholic church in Cleveland, Ohio.
The
diocese sensed trouble from the outset, when Griffin began to question
some of the central tenets of the church, particularly the attitude
towards those most in need.
Griffin
was uncomfortable with the way blacks were being treated in the U.S.,
and joined a march with Dr. Martin Luther King.
The
local bishop was unimpressed, and Griffin was told he was
“causing a disturbance in the suburbs.” He had his parish
taken away and was sent to a street ministry in the central city: a
ghetto.
Griffin
was saddened to see babies living in rat-infested homes, people without
housing, and most without any health coverage. He implored the church
for help.
Time
and again, the diocese declined.
Griffin
discarded the cloth, and went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
where he obtained a masters degree in social work.
Then,
in 1972, another sharp departure.
Griffin
won a seat on Milwaukee city council, where he served a term of four
years. Around the same time, he began teaching writing at a local
prison, planting the seed for some of his later work.
The
experience of getting elected was an important turning point in his
life, imparting a vital message about his personal value.
The
church told him he was not worthy, and needed to seek redemption. Being
elected to civic office told him different.
But
once again, disheartened by the lack of aid for the city’s
neediest, Griffin chose not to run for office again.
For
the next 15 years, he operated a greenhouse business, first in
Milwaukee, then north of the border, in Cloverdale. The American-born
Griffin and his wife enjoyed Canada so much, they decided to move here.
His
business was peaceful and profitable, but Griffin wasn’t happy.
“I
was running a greenhouse and realizing I was becoming a
vegetable.”
In
the early 1990s, he went to a writers’ conference in Seattle and
thought Surrey could easily support such an event.
In
1993, he started the first Surrey International Writers Conference
(SIWC), with about 100 people showing up to the first year’s
event. The numbers are now in the thousands.
In
2001, Griffin completed his first book, titled Beyond the Vows. The
main protagonist, JP Lacey, is a priest conflicted by his calling and a
world mired in injustice. That priest was based on Griffin’s life.
For
almost a decade prior to writing that book, he was going to Matsqui
Prison to teach inmates the art of writing. He also convinced SIWC
speaker and renowned author Dianna Gabaldon to do the same when she
visits.
Griffin
went on to write a popular hit Prisoners of Willowaw, about 300
prisoners released onto Adak Island, in the Aleutians off Alaska.
Besides being a rich description with well-developed characters,
Griffin manages to use it as a critique of our current prison system.
The
guys in jail loved it, Griffin says.
His
latest, titled The Veto, details the life of a U.N. bureaucrat who
challenges the veto votes held by five countries.
At
first, it appears to be a complete departure from his previous work, a
perception he quickly challenges.
It’s
the little guy fighting for justice against the big guys.
A
theme for his life as well as his books.
