Explaining grief to someone who has never experienced it is nearly impossible. There are so many similes for it. It could be like a rollercoaster, or a shadow, or even a nightmare. No matter which simile is used, it will never quite do it justice.
For Bishop Briggs, grief is like a pair of witches.
First, grief projected into the form of five songs. She released an EP, When It’s Halloween, in 2025. The cover art, two young girls in matching black capes and pointed hats, represented her and her late sister, Kate. The first song introduces two characters, Witchy and Witch, who are sisters but could very well be twins. In real life, Briggs’ mother referred to her and her sister as The Little Witches.
When It’s Halloween speaks to the authenticity she finds in herself this time of year. Projecting joy and positivity is something she incorporates into her daily routine, but when it comes to her songwriting, she finds something darker that she enjoys exploring.
After releasing the EP, Briggs searched for another creative outlet for grief. She was journaling one night and thinking about Witchy and Witch when she drew out a rough sketch of what would become her children’s book, Witchy Witch. She showed it to her husband, and there was a moment of understanding between the two of them. Silent tears. Pained smiles. Then he posed a question.
“Do you think you’ll have someone else do the illustrations?”
Moments of sadness can become moments of hilarity in the blink of an eye. It is another nearly impossible feeling to explain. Now, imagine explaining those nearly impossible feelings to children. As Briggs was trying to understand grief for herself, she found that it was difficult to explain that to her young son without a tangible tool.
She wanted to make sure she explained it right. She connected with a grief therapist from OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center, a nonprofit organization that provides education, resources and hope to anyone navigating life after the death of a loved one. They would talk throughout the writing process, including the importance of making the book a conversation. In between the story are check-in prompts which give children the chance to explore their emotions as they read.
“I love reading to my son, and it was a way to have these conversations and make them a little lighter while also being realistic of who this person was to me,” she said.
For Briggs, those conversations were partially her own therapy sessions. She learned how certain language, once thought to soothe a child’s fear, was actually the most confusing. Being direct and using the word “died” means there is no room for interpretation on if that person is “lost” and maybe coming back or “did not wake up” and could happen to the child next time they fall asleep. During that discussion, it was the first time Briggs had ever said that her sister had died instead of saying ‘passed away’.
She also learned about recognizing signs and using this story to encourage children to say them out loud. Seeing Witchy be so proud in finding a sign from Witch became an important lesson in the book.
“The hope is that when kids are feeling down, or missing their person, or maybe seeing a sign, they share with their caretaker what they're feeling, rather than just keeping it to themselves,” she said.
When it came time to the illustrations, a magical force connected her to Julia Davis. Briggs reached out to her after stumbling across her Happy Haunting coloring book, which gave her the inspiration to have a coloring book of her own to go alongside Witchy Witch. Hard cover and paperback copies are available with either a physical coloring book or digital download. Her official merch store also carries a 10-pack of crayons.
Briggs also partnered with Hugz, a company that creates weighted stuffed animals for stress relief purposes. Similar to coloring, this sensory-friendly black cat, the same one seen in Witchy Witch, can be used as another way to bring comfort.
For Bishop Briggs, grief is like a pair of witches. Witchy and Witch are two pumpkins in a patch but also so much more than that. The love she and her sister shared lives on in the story of Witchy Witch, the comfort of a black cat and all the signs found in the moonlight.
