tempest in a teacup: my homage to milan kundera and leonard cohen  how does one exist in the world: do you live your life according to a single ideal or by trial-and-error, seeking a diverse spiral of experiences? this dichotomy plays out everywhere and especially in human relationships. in "tempest in a teacup" six characters, each with a different way of being—destiny, great love, power, obligation, pleasure, beauty—come together in a series of events revolving around a corporate function. as the characters collide, the viability of each way is questioned in their alternating viewpoints. each narrator is unreliable - but then which one of us is ever a reliable narrator?<br />the idea for this story was born out of "dictionary of misunderstood words" in milan kundera's the unbearable lightness of being. from the day i first read him, i was fascinated with kundera's characters representing different how-to-exist-in-the-world ideas. but as i tried to fill these existential characters with flesh and blood and guilt and longing and all the internal cracks that make us human, another influence crept in. i love leonard cohen's songs and poetry. i don't know anyone who expressed the pain and the healing power of our relationships as well as he did. on the surface, these two men couldn't be more different: a cool, humorous, almost rational dissection vs. broken, passionate, spiritual longing. and yet i saw more similarities than differences: from separate viewpoints, they shone a light on both our alienation and the grace of connections that eclipse our selves. they don't need my homage, but i wanted to thank these remarkable artists for giving me shelter and light when all other lights went out.<br />from the blueink review: "bell's characters are genuinely enjoyable, and the themes - love, art, passion, identity - are thoughtfully and provocatively explored in a work that offers many rewards."