Arzu Soltan

Arzu Soltan (Arzu Hasanli) was born in Baku. She graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Baku State University (1995) and received her doctoral degree from the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies of the Eastern Mediterranean University of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

She has been working in the press since 1988. She worked as a correspondent, department head, and editor in the newspapers "Inshaatchi", "Ordu" and "Olaylar" and as a reporter at the news agency "Olaylar". She was the editor-in-chief of the newspapers "Chokh yasha" and "Ushag teatri", the children's magazine "Diplomat Kerkem" and the online magazine Proloq.az.

She has appeared in various media outlets as an independent journalist.

She worked as the director of the Nariman Narimanov Public Library (2008-2011).

She was a participant, speaker, and presenter of various courses and trainings, forums, and scientific conferences for journalists and cultural managers in the United States and several European countries, and was the regional coordinator for gender issues in the South Caucasus of the International Federation of Journalists (Brussels).

She is a screenwriter for television programs and children's films, and one of the screenwriters of the series of children's programs "Stories of the Little Owl" prepared within the framework of the "Children Tolerance Education Program" project of the US organization Save the Children.

She worked as the head of the literary department of the "Korpam" Experimental Children's Theater, and then the Baku Children's Theater (from 2020 to 2021).

Since 1990, dozens of her plays have been staged in these theaters. Her plays have been participants and diploma winners of various local and international festivals. The play "The Tears of Poppy or Playing with Life", dedicated to the topic of drug addiction and AIDS, was shown more than 500 times in Baku and the regions. It was awarded a diploma from local and international organizations, the "Pompidou Group" of the Council of Europe on the fight against drugs.

She is the head of FORUMCLUB, which operates under the Baku Children and Youth Theater and implements various educational projects. The book "Our Rights in the Main Role" dedicated to children's rights was published (2005).

She worked as a trainer-expert in the project "The South Caucasus is a Part of Europe" (2007-2010) for young journalists organized by the Eurasia Foundation, the Austrian Intercultural Centre, and the Lithuanian Association for Non-Formal Education.

She received an award from the Women's Participation Program of the United States Agency for International Development for extensive coverage of gender equality issues in the mass media in the nomination "Women in the Media" (2012).

She worked as the Deputy Chairman of the “Miras” Social Union for the Support of Cultural Heritage Learning and the Executive Secretary of the “Miras” scientific and popular magazine (2011-2013). She was the head of a number of projects implemented by the organization, co-author and editor of the books it published.

Since 2020, she has been working on projects of the T-network communication platform for educators.

In 2015, her book “One-act Children's Plays” was published.

She is the translator and editor of dozens of books. Her works have been staged in various theaters in Azerbaijan, as well as abroad.

She was awarded the National Book Award diploma for her stories (2010).

Currently, she continues her work as a screenwriter at the Baku Children and Youth Theater.

Since 2021, she has been the editor-in-chief of the “Azerbaijani School” magazine of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Screenwriter Arzu Soltan is the wife of actor Intigam Soltan.