Transformation is the cornerstone of Milkweed’s mission, so it’s heartening to see an author lay their name on the line for something they believe in. Most recently that distinction belongs to Rick Bass, a staunch advocate for the environment and captivating author who was arrested on Monday for protesting coal mining on Montana state land.

“It’s really wrong for Montanans to sell dirty coal to Asia,” Bass told Butte’s KXLH, “to flood the market with cheap subsidized coal, subsidized by U.S. taxpayers and Montana taxpayers. It is flat wrong.”

And this arrest was no stunt: Preserving the untouched reaches of Montana has been Bass’s passion for more than twenty years. In Brown Dog of the Yaak, Bass explores the beauty of Montana’s Yaak Valley through the eyes of his loyal dog, Colter, and along the way provides his compelling impetus for both art and activism.

We’re proud to publish authors like Bass. Discover for yourself the landscape that has inspired him for decades: For the next month Brown Dog of the Yaak is half-off, in hopes of spreading the word just a little bit farther.