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Who are Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin giving their book to this Christmas?
The designer and photographer couple on their 2018 highs and lows and who’ll be getting a great gift
If you’re looking for fresh perspectives in 2019, you might want to turn to Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin. Though they've found considerable success independently – Jason as a photographer, and Tamara as an illustrator and graphic designer – the married, American couple also work well in a team, creating beautiful, thought provoking board books that engage young minds, and also delight older ones.
Their new one, A Pile of Leaves, encourages kids to dig through a colourful load of foliage, in a collage-inspired book with see-through pages. Read on to find out what got them thinking this year, and who they plan to give their new book to this Christmas
![A Pile of Leaves](/resource/9780714877204-ph-940-5.jpg)
What inspired you most this year? Jason: Traveling to some places that had previously been off my radar - Latvia, Lithuania, Sardegna and Nepal - and meeting good people there. Tamara: The Parkland students' activism after the high school shooting and a video of Lucinda Childs performing Geranium - seen in the MoMA show, Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done.
What annoyed you most? Jason and Tamara: Politics
![A Pile of Leaves](/resource/9780714877204-ph-940-4.jpg)
What was your personal highlight? Jason: Books — in addition to the new Phaidon titles, two books of my photographs were published: Clayton’s Ascent and The Medium is a Mess, and I edited the latest edition of Der Greif magazine. Tamara: The paperback release of my book, Arbitrary Stupid Goal.
What can we expect from you in 2019? Jason: More books, more photographs, and some teaching in various countries. Tamara: I’ll be helping my brother Zack and sister Melinda relocate our family restaurant Shopsins to Essex Crossing when Essex Street Market moves. Everything else is unknown.
![A Pile of Leaves](/resource/9780714877204-780-1.jpg)
To buy a copy of Tamara and Jason’s book, A Pile of Leaves go here.