"The elevator is a portal to the realm of death and humiliation."

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Pushing Buttons: Unsettling Stories of Life's Ups and Downs is meant to evoke emotions about being a captive audience in a confined space, and is a product of the pandemic. Under lockdown, many of us sought purpose to avoid going stir-crazy. Believing that everyone has a story to tell, the authors of The MADPENS Project pushed the boundaries of creativity and collaboration. We crafted crowdsourced stories from our own lived experiences and audacious imaginations.

This work reflects the human condition, which can be beautiful, ridiculous, and terrifying all at once. Pushing Buttons illustrates how being trapped with someone -- or some thing --

in an enclosed space can lead to startling experiences. If you prefer fun and light stories, they are noted for you. Darker tales are identified as such. The characters confront absurd, funny, fantastical, violent, and heartbreaking situations, including an alien abduction and an epic mime fight. They are joined by a diverse cast, including LGBT+ individuals, supernatural beings, and, sadly, one racist grandma, among others. Reader Discretion is advised.

Pushing Buttons may captivate and engage readers on multiple levels. Some Easter eggs are in plain sight, and some are more subversive. We hope no one is too offended, especially by the comedic and political stories. The authors wrote the stories they wanted to write, and told the tales they wanted to tell. As a group, we are unapologetic about this.

The MADPENS writing collective honors you for choosing to spend time with us. You may invest hours of your life that you can't get back. We don't think it will come to that, but it might.

For pop culture detectives, the group has embedded over 700 references and Easter eggs within these pages. We hope to bring a smile to your face as discovery and recognition wash over you.

Did you hear the ding? The doors are about to open to other realms.

Will you enter for the ride of a lifetime -- or are you gonna run?