Leah Umansky is an educator, artist, curator, the author of five books of poems, most recentlyOf Tyrant, (Word Works, 2024) and the forthcoming memoir, Delicate Machine (Dzanc Books, 2027). Her creative work has been featured on PBS and The Slowdown and has been widely published in such places as The New York Times, and elsewhere. You can follow her on Instagram or at her website www.leahumansky.com where you can also subscribe to her Substack, Stay Brave.
Pronouns: she/her
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
The thing I like doing most in the world is being immersed in poetry, and a close second is seeing a concert, cover band or karaoking. It’s hard to choose just one thing! There’s nothing I love more than sitting at the beach in the summer, or spending time with my loved ones. I love writing letters.
I love when I make my sister or my mom laugh, or they make me laugh. There’s nothing better than laughing so hard that you can’t breathe.
I also really love teaching. I love my high school students and I especially love when they fall in love with a book or a poem. I love seeing how poetry can reach them.
I love when my cat, Moira Rose, wants to be cuddly.
I love writing and connecting with others. I love correspondence.
I love hosting and curating my reading series, COUPLET.
I love sitting on the couch watching Bob’s Burgers with my fiancé. It’s my happy place.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
If you know me, you’ll be shocked to know that I was a VERY shy child. So I’m really not sure what my first memory of being creative is because I was very introverted and kind of a wallflower up until the middle of high school. I think my first memory of being creative is probably presenting a poetry portfolio in 6th grade English class in middle school. It’s the first memory I really have of writing a poem and being excited about it, but I don’t think I really realized my creative side until my 10th grade English teacher, Mr. Collier encouraged me to submit a poem to the school literary magazine, and join the staff. (I will thank him forever. It changed my life).
What is your biggest regret?
My biggest regret is overthinking. It’s a bad habit and I waste too much time doing it. I regret never living overseas, other than studying abroad in college, but I think I still will someday!
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Writing. 100%. I’ve written my way through heartbreak in my first collection of poems Domestic Uncertainties, which is about my marriage and divorce, and again in my forthcoming memoir, Delicate Machine (Dzanc Books) which deals with infertility. But also, community, talking with friends. Reading books. Bingewatching the shows that make me happy: New Girl, Bob’s Burgers. Also, my sister — there’s no one like my sister — she’s helped me through so much.
I think hope has gotten me over heartbreak. I work at being a very hopeful person. It takes effort and focus.
Also, walking. Walking always makes me feel better.
What makes you cry?
Everything! I love a good cry. I cry at commercials. I cry when I’m happy. I cry when I’m sad. I cry when my students make me proud. I cry when something touches me. I cry when I’m frustrated. I deeply value a good cry and if I’m being honest, I have to say I’m grateful to cry, to be that in touch with my feelings is something I’m grateful for. I was single for many many years after my divorce and I remember wanting so badly to meet a man who was sensitive and felt his feelings and wasn’t afraid of them. Crying is healthy.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Oh, I am a big believer in celebrating everything! I think the pride and joy of accomplishing something is such a big deal and is such a gift that you need to make it last as long as you can. I think you should always celebrate it. Life is for living! Write about it. Journal about it. Tell your friends and family. Shout it from the rooftop. If you can’t be proud of yourself, who else will?
I’d say that joy lasts a long time. I can be a private person, but I’m also really good at sharing my joy with others.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I don’t know any more if I believe in an afterlife, but I’d like to think that in the afterlife, you are reunited with all of your pets (and loved ones) and you all get to hold each other again. I know my mother would agree with that answer. I think I stole it from her.
What do you hate most about yourself?
I hate my anxiety, but I’m working on accepting it, and on befriending it. ( Hate is a strong word and I’m trying to use it less. )
What do you love most about yourself?
I love that I tell my loved ones I love them. I love that I love Love. I love that I make others feel good and that I inspire others.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Oh, it’s either a steak and potatoes or eggplant parmesan with lots of parmesan cheese! I also really love it when my fiance makes me an omelet. I love my mom’s chicken cutlets. I love eating tuna sandwiches at the beach with potato chips. I’m obsessed with the Aged White Cheddar and Sour Cream Cape Cod potato chips. I’m also a sucker for bar food: I love wings and blue cheese and I love potato skins and blue cheese. (I’m kind of obsessed with blue cheese.)
