R.K. Leighton

10/18/2017

That Night — A Poem by Kylie Medina

An Introduction -- Happy Wednesday everyone! October is such an incredible month for experimenting with surreal subject matters and nontraditional tones, not to mention that the season’s weather is perfect for contemplation. This Wednesday at R.K. Leighton we present you with another poem by Kylie M...

10/16/2017

Dracula and Historical Context

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a novel of singular influence and success. To understand the far reaching effects of the work, one must understand the myth of the vampire, the historical and cultural context in which the novel was published, and the life of the novelist. The myth of the vampire is importan...

10/11/2017

Spooky Stories to Read in October

It’s October! And everyone knows what that means. It’s Halloween month! In honor of the month-long celebration of all things spooky, scary, unsettling, and terrifying, this week we’ll be looking at 5 must read stories on theme for the holiday. These run the gamut from novels to anthologies, and all…

10/02/2017

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

09/27/2017

5 Frequently Banned and Challenged Books You Should Probably Read

According to the American Library Association, “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to...

09/20/2017

Wildfire — A Preview of a Short Story by Laura Parise

An Introduction -- This week we’ve got an excerpt from an upcoming short story titled Wildfire by Laura Parise, another new author feature here at R.K. Leighton. The story revolves around a waitress at a diner and her interactions with an old man who visits regularly, and how the deceptively average...

09/13/2017

10 — A Poem by Justin Palatsky

An Introduction -- Sometimes it feels like today’s social climate leaves little room for optimism and compassion, with so many people who are all too quick to rush to judgment on pretty much every frontier of the sociopolitical landscape. That’s why sometimes it is nice to read something that puts y...

09/07/2017

The Major Themes of Harry Potter and Why They Matter

I think it’s fair to say that the Harry Potter series is a modern classic, and a cultural touchstone almost ubiquitous in scope. For a time, it was impossible to not have an opinion on these books. They have been translated into over 70 languages, and they are together, the best-selling book series…

08/31/2017

Horoscopes — A Poem by Julia Hwang

An Introduction -- Another week gone by, and with it the summer comes to a crushing halt. Whether you go back to school today, next week, or you’ve been out of school for some time, R.K. Leighton is here for you with another week of great content. Today we have another poem by the wonderful Julia Hw...

08/24/2017

Burning Flowers — A Poem by Kylie Medina

An Introduction -- Happy Hump Day! R.K. Leighton is here, as always, to help you get through your midweek, midday slump with just a dash of the beautiful written word. Today we have a poem by R.K. Leighton regular, Kylie Medina, titled “Burning Flowers”. It is a short, lyrical poem about the consequ...

08/23/2017

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." —Richard Bach

08/17/2017

"You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." — Jodi Picoult