Featured Book Review

February 7, 2026

One Publisher’s Pick: “The People in the Trees” by Hanya Yanagihara

Stephanie Johnson Lawson Featured Book Review, Fiction, Publisher's Picks abuse and complicity, books about power, colonialism in fiction, Hanya Yanagihara, literary fiction review, unreliable narrator, unsettling novels

A deeply unsettling, impeccably crafted novel that exposes how power, prestige, and storytelling protect abuse—and why it still feels urgent today.

May 2, 2025

Publisher’s Picks / Living Unencumbered: Spring 2025

Stephanie Johnson Lawson Altered Tarot, Book Publishing, Featured Book Review, Living Unencumbered, Metaphysical, Movie Review, Music, Photography, Poetry, Publisher's Picks book recommendations, Common Sense Media, Common Sense Media reviews, Dao Strom, dao strom Instrument, democracy now, Democracy Now!, ethical media, Fonograf Editions, gender in tarot, indie poetry recommendations, Indie Press, indie publishing, King of Pentacles, king of pentacles meaning, Kristin Hiatt, marco polo app, media minimalism, muses, Publisher’s Picks, Robyn Tanksley, streaming and memory, swear words, tarot, uncle buck analysis, unencumbered press blog

November 1, 2024

Publisher’s Picks for November 2024

Stephanie Johnson Lawson Featured Book Review, Movie Review, Nonfiction, Poetry, Publisher's Picks Ada Limón poetry, book reviews, Bright Dead Things, Courtney Summer Myers LinkedIn, Electric Literature review, indie poetry recommendations, nonprofit publishing, professional vulnerability, Publisher’s Picks November 2024, resilience in literature, The Full Monty movie analysis, Unencumbered Press

October 4, 2024

Publisher’s Picks for October 2024

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Hi Readers! Happy October. I’m excited to share this month’s picks: a fantastic indie short fiction book, the bad-ass tarot deck I just bought, the quirky indie bookshop I found it at, the zine creator I’m obsessed with, and three shows I’m streaming. Let’s dive in. Publisher’s Picks: October 2024 Last week, I visited my hometown in Eastern Washington—Spokane—a city celebrated for its vibrant display of all four seasons. Coming from the intense Arizona heat, the […]

September 19, 2024

Featured Book Review | Talk About Finding the Right Book at the Right Time—My Review of ‘Grief is for People’ by Sloane Crosley

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When Death Comes in Threes This past spring, around the same time I started a promising new job, I lost my grandmother. While her death was somewhat expected, we did not expect the timing of it. I adored Granny. I don’t think I ever heard a bad thing said about her my whole life. She was sweet and spicy, all rolled into one, with a zest for life and a deep love for her people […]

Promotional graphic for a book review by R. Tanksley on The Chalice and the Blade, titled 'From Pain to Power.' Published by Unencumbered Press on August 20, 2024.

August 19, 2024

Featured Book Review | From Pain to Power: How ‘The Chalice and the Blade’ Illuminated My Path to Healing and Advocacy

r. tanksley Altered Tarot, Featured Book Review, Nonfiction, Personal Stories, The End of Love advocacy, domestic abuse, feminist literature, gender roles, gender studies, healing journey, partnership model, patriarchy, personal transformation, Riane Eisler, social history, spiritual growth, systemic injustice, The Chalice and the Blade, trauma recovery, women's rights, women's studies

A Journey of Healing and Understanding Certain synchronistic events led to this book being a part of my life. Following the end of an abusive relationship three years ago, I began a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of healing. One of the most difficult aspects of this healing journey was trying to intellectually understand why partner abuse happens and why so many women let it happen or hide that it is happening, myself included. The […]