My Time With National Review

Young, aspiring conservative writers should consider one of NR's internship opportunities, as I did last summer.

William Buckley holding a copy of National Review. Flickr, Public Domain.

I make little secret of my affection for National Review, and especially for the great thinkers and writers who have been associated with it over the years. I regularly turn to the writings of Buckley, Russell Kirk, and Frank Meyer when making my own arguments. Everything I could say has already been said by them, in much greater fashion. The magazine’s contributions to American conservatism are, if anything, too little appreciated. 

To that end, I was blessed this last summer to spend 11 weeks interning with NR. My first reflection can be read here. It can be summed up, however, in its last passage: 

My lasting impression of National Review is one of purpose. When Buckley founded this magazine in 1955, he consecrated this institution with a mission: build a vibrant conservative movement that could protect the best America has to offer. Almost 70 years later, that mission has not changed. National Review remains athwart history yelling “Stop!” Buckley’s legacy continues to bestride this narrow world, and the shadow his colossus casts is as long as ever. 

It has been an honor and a privilege to stand in it. 

If anything, this was an understatement. When the annals of National Review are written, and all those blessed enough to be published in its pages are counted, my name will be listed next to titans such as Russell Kirk, Frank Meyer, and James Burnham. While I hope someday to claim a much higher mantle in the magazine’s history than a mere intern, if this is all I manage, it will have been enough. I have had the pleasure of learning under the tutelage of many experienced, conservative thinkers, but nothing quite compares to the concentration of talent Buckley’s brainchild holds.

More such talent is desperately needed in today's world, too. It is no secret that American conservatism finds itself in crisis. Principled leadership for the conservative movement is sorely required, and principled membership is even more so. National Review remains an essential cornerstone in cultivating those members, and so I recommend that any and all up-and-coming out there consider applying to their summer internship here. 

For those aspiring writers who are preparing to graduate college (like myself) and do not have the flexibility for a short-term internship, I recommend applying for one of their two-year-long fellowships, both found here. These are opportunities unlike any other, and I strongly encourage everyone out there to consider participating. 

Scott Howard is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. An alumnus intern of National Review, he is currently an Editor at Lone Conservative and volunteers as an Associate Editor for the Freemen News-Letter. @ConservaMuse