Leta Tremblay

Leta Tremblay, 26, Director/Producer, East Village

What's the story behind your name?:

"My name comes from the ending of Spanish names such as Carmelita or Rosalita. "Lita" was the nickname of my mother's High School Spanish teacher whose given name was Amanda and who played an important role in my mother's childhood. Mom always thought the name should be spelled "Leta" based on the English grammatical rule that we learn in 1st grade: "the a makes the e say its own name." Lee-tah.

Round about Middle School, I started mumbling and slurring my name together so that it sounded like "Leda" and this lasted through College. Thusly, most of my closest friends call me Leda. But that's not the name that my mother gave me. I'm reclaiming the my name, Leta, with pride and enunciation in my adult life."