“Proud to be Right,” a book about young conservatism written by Jonah Goldberg features many young conservative voices in a compilation of essays. It will be released by HarperCollins October 5. One contributor, Robin Dembroff, is a Biola student while three others: Matt Anderson, Joi Weaver, and Rachel Motte are Biola alumni.

Motte is a freelance writer, journalist and editor. Her work has appeared on CNN.com, The Evangelical Outpost, The New Ledger, and multiple radio stations nationwide. She is an alumna of the Torrey Honors Institute, the Leadership Institute, and the World Journalism Institute.

How did you get involved in the “Proud to be Right” anthology?

Last year… a friend let me know that National Review’s Jonah Goldberg was looking for contributors to an anthology of young conservative writers. I asked a couple of my old Leadership Institute friends to recommend me and was soon invited to submit an essay. When Harper Collins VP Adam Bellow asked me to recommend other writers for the project, I immediately thought of Matt Anderson, Robin Dembroff and Joi Weaver, three friends and fellow writers from Biola.

What did you gain from the experience?

The great thing about writing is that it can be done almost anywhere–I’m good to go as long as I have a laptop and an internet connection. The best thing about this project is the fact that I did all the work from home with my little girl at my side. Anything that lets me further my career and be a good mom at the same time is a winner in my book.

How does it feel to be published?

Writing is a pretty arrogant activity, in a way. You’re assuming you have something interesting to say, and that’s a big assumption. I’m always a little surprised when someone really resonates with something I’ve written. And often, people read things into my writing that had never occurred to me. That’s always interesting.

What message were you trying to convey in your article?

I tried to address a similar problem (young conservatives’ nonchalance towards politics) in my chapter, which is entitled “Liberals are Dumb: and Other Shared Texts.” Young conservative activists may be politically savvy, but often… they don’t love the right things well. This is particularly a problem because the conservative “old guard” is on its way out, and it’s up to my generation to replace it. We can’t do that well until we learn how to love God, our country, and our enemies in the right way… Conservatism started as an intellectual movement centered around a group of texts–but the closest thing most young conservatives have to a shared text is the arrogant and overly-simplistic assumption that ‘Liberals are dumb.’

What political advice do you have for college students?

I hope Biola students will take some of this to heart when they read the book. Not everyone is called to go into politics, but we are called to be salt and light in our communities, and we can’t do that if we don’t love the culture we live in.

Dembroff, a senior at Biola, is originally from Visalia, Calif.. She is a member of the Torrey Honors Institute and is double majoring in humanities and philosophy.

How did you get involved in the “Proud to be Right” anthology?

All four of us blogged for Evangelical Outpost as contributing editors. Rachel had a contact in D.C. who was looking for people to write articles, and she passed it along.

What did you gain from the experience?

I gained a lot. It was a little stressful working within the time constraints, and reworking the article over and over. But it was also really neat.

How does it feel to be published?
The fact that I’m going to be published, I haven’t really comprehended that yet.

What message were you trying to convey in your article?

My article was about coming from conservative backgrounds and other people’s natural reaction to disregard our (conservatives) opinion. I took a philosophical approach and explained the irrationality of others to assume we are illogical based on our conservative background.

What political advice do you have for college students?

Talk to people who don’t agree with you.

Anderson graduated from Biola is 2004 and majored in humanities and philosophy. He is the lead writer for MereOrthodoxy.com which he started in 2004 and is a senior editor for EvangelicalOutpost.com.

How did you get involved in the “Proud to be Right” anthology?

I’ve been writing for quite some time. Actually, Rachel got the initial invite, and she passed my name along.

What did you gain from the experience?

I’ve been writing for awhile, so for me the biggest thing is exposure, getting out there is what I have been and am doing. I enjoyed working with the editors. Adam Bellow was a great editor.

How does it feel to be published?

It’s always a little nerve wracking. It’s one thing to have your thoughts, it’s a different thing to put them out there for critics to pick apart. But it is also exciting.

What message were you trying to convey in your article?

The title of my chapter is the “Politics of Authenticity.” My point is that social conservatives (people concerned with abortion, and similar issues) tend to be more suspicious of politicians because we have been burned by them more and we think there is more at stake. It’s not just the free market, where abortion is concerned it is human lives are at stake too. I address what we (social conservatives) are looking for in terms of an authentic political leader.

What political advice do you have for college students?

I would say don’t be reactive. If you see ideas or movements that you aren’t sympathetic with don’t form you own ideas in reaction to those movements. Be proactive and constructive in your own view points.

Weaver graduated as an Art major emphasizing in drawing and painting. She got involved in writing during her junior year. Currently she is a copywriter for a women’s organization based in Fullerton, Calif. and writes articles and novels in her spare time.

How did you get involved in the “Proud to be Right” anthology?

I was chatting with Rachel one evening, and she told me that she’d been asked to submit some writing samples for an upcoming book that Jonah Goldberg was putting together. She also mentioned that she’d been asked for the names of other individuals who might be interested, and had given the editor my name. I got an email a few weeks later, submitted some writing samples, and was asked to send in a pitch for a proposed article.

What did you gain from the experience?

I believe I gained a lot of confidence from this experience. After all, if someone wants to publish my article, it must mean I have something worth hearing!

How does it feel to be published?

It feels amazing to be published: it’s been a dream of mine ever since college. Plus, I have to admit, it was pretty exciting to get official mail with the Harper Collins letterhead.

What message were you trying to convey in your article?

I was trying to convey a message that’s more personal and cultural than political. It concerns me how often excellence is despised and downplayed in our world today, and I wanted to address that.

What political advice do you have for college students?

Though I haven’t been particularly involved in politics, I do have a few suggestions. First of all, be civil; there’s no reason to be rude or hurtful, and you never know what bridges you may have burned by insulting someone you disagree with. Secondly, remember that politics isn’t everything. Third, see to your own soul; it does no good for your causes to succeed if you become a terrible person while promoting them.