Sabbatical Homes

Blog | Stories & Spotlights

Discover the people and stories behind SabbaticalHomes.com. Explore member spotlights, founder updates, academic journeys, travel experiences, and community connections that bring our global network to life.

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  • Mary Jane Baxter

    Notable Member: Mary Jane Baxter Releases First Book

    SabbaticalHomes member Mary Jane Baxter combined her passions for journalism, fashion and making to forge a creative career. The former BBC journalist became an author with Chic on a Shoestring, sharing inventive ideas for transforming everyday and vintage finds into stylish creations.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Art Pays the Rent

    Notable Member: Artist Katherine Dolgy

    Artist and SabbaticalHomes member Katherine Dolgy Ludwig found a creative way to combine her international art practice with extended stays around the world: exchanging original paintings for housing and forming lasting friendships along the way.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Australia

    Notable Member: Adventurer Lorna Hendry

    When Lorna Hendry and her family grew tired of balancing work and family pressures, they gave up city life for a year camping across Australia and a year in a remote Aboriginal community in the Kimberley. This is the story of their outback adventure.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Home Rental Los Angeles

    Notable Member: Writer Chris Keane

    Screenwriter and Harvard lecturer Chris Keane, author of Romancing the A-list, shares his experience renting through SabbaticalHomes and his advice on writing a screenplay that sells.

    • Stories & Spotlights
  • Mo Fini

    Notable Member: Photographer, Musician, Traveler Mo Fini

    Photographer, author, and founder of the Latin music label Tumi Music, Mo Fini has spent more than four decades exploring the arts, crafts, and culture of Latin America. We revisit the remarkable journey of one of our most well-traveled notable members.

    • Stories & Spotlights

Member Spotlights

Brian Thompson

Notable Member: Earthen Vessels Founder Brian Thompson

Founded in 1980 by SabbaticalHomes member Brian Thompson and Marie-Claude Thompson, EVkids has grown into a thriving Boston nonprofit supporting young people through tutoring, mentoring, college guidance and summer camp.

  • Stories & Spotlights
Morgan O’Hara in her New York City Studio.

Member Spotlight: Morgan O’Hara

We first profiled artist Morgan O’Hara in 2017, and she has kept expanding her work since. She catches us up on her activist and experiential art, including the ongoing Handwriting the Constitution project that continues to draw people in.

  • Stories & Spotlights
Alex Carballo-Dieguez at the Teatro ColĂłn Opera House in Buenos Aires Argentina.

Member Spotlight: Alex Carballo-Diéguez

Alex Carballo-Diéguez, PhD, spent an active academic career at Columbia and used SabbaticalHomes to find apartments while traveling for conferences and lectures. Now retired, he reflects on his research, his travels, and the stays that supported them.

  • Stories & Spotlights
Katherine K. Merseth headshot.

Member Spotlight: Harvard Educator Katherine Merseth

Harvard educator Katherine Merseth has been called an academic entrepreneur for the inventive research and teaching that shaped her 40-plus-year career. A longtime SabbaticalHomes member and Harvard Professor of the Year, she shares what has kept her work fresh.

  • Stories & Spotlights

Fulbright Scholars: Interviews & Advice

Each year scholars travel to new universities as visiting researchers, and Fulbright awards remain among the most sought-after honors. Fulbright alumni share their experiences and advice, offering a window into the work and the journeys behind the fellowship.

  • Stories & Spotlights
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Founder on the Move: Helping Find Homes for Huntington Scholars

On a bright and beautiful spring day, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of our wonderful members, Toni Devreaux, at the Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California. We were surrounded by lush plants and creatures that seamlessly existed among…

  • Stories & Spotlights