Cutting Remarks: An In-world Interview with Neal Shusterman

Hello! Today we’ll be interviewing several of the characters from the Arc of a Scythe universe, as well as that world’s creator, Neil Shusterman. First up, the truly benevolent AI that’s everyone’s best friend. A virtual god that basically runs everything in the immortal Arc of a Scythe world. It takes care of the planet, takes care of us,…

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Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is The New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award; Courage to Dream, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book; Scythe, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; the Unwind Dystology, which won more than thirty domestic and international awards; and the highly acclaimed novels, Dry and Roxy, which he co-wrote with his son, Jarrod. For his body of work, Neal won the 2024 Margaret A. Edwards Award, and the ALAN Lifetime Achievement Award. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at www.storyman.com, facebook.com/NealShusterman, and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @nealshusterman.

Hailey Renee Brown

Hailey Renee Brown (Ren) is a professional illustrator born and raised in mid-Michigan. A former field biologist, they moved across the country from Michigan to Pennsylvania, also moving from science to commercial art. A professionally trained artist, they attended the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, NJ, where they were selected as the recipient of the 2017 Norman Maurer Memorial Award as well as the 2019 Joe Kubert Jumpstart Project. They have since worked for a variety of clients from Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Entertainment to Brink.


First Featured In: No. 23, spring 2025

The Gods Issue

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