WHO IS AYLA ÇINAROĞLU?

Ayla Çınaroğlu

Ayla Çınaroğlu was born in Ankara in 1939.

She graduated from the Department of Graphic Arts in the State Fine Arts Academy and subsequently worked as a commercial graphic artist for many years. Since 1972, she has writen a variety of books for children, including short stories, poems, plays and novels.

Her tales and poems a Her tales and poems are published regularly in magazines. Samples of her writing are included in Turkish language lesson books geared towards Turkish children in foreign countries who wish to develop their native tongue.

Ayla designs the layouts of all her books. She also introduced a novel collage technique based upon the utilization of squares and triangles as building blocks. Her books, demonstrating her illustrative technique, are currently used as source material for art classes in primary schools. She has over 90 titles in circulation and several books in preparation for publication.

Ayla Çınaroğlu has toured many cities within Turkey. She works to foster children's love for books and promote literacy in the community by speaking at libraries, schools, universities and book fairs.

Her activites abroad include:

  • Several appearances in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
  • Conference on Contemporary Turkish Children’s and Youth Literature Upon invitation by SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, Germany (13-14 June 2008)
  • Swedish International Library Event (Stockholm Stadsbibliotek Kulturförvaltningen) Upon invitation by The Council for Cultural Affairs (29 November - 10 December 2008)

With her husband, she rehabilitated a two-story historic building in Çanakkale, Turkey. The building functioned as home to MAVITAY Children’s Cultural Center, founded in 2007. The center, which includes modern facilities and a library containing 5,500 titles, served the community free of charge until 2013, when it was transferred to another association called Çocukluk Bizde Kalsın Derneği (A Children’s Education NGO). The association continues to function within the founding principles of the cultural center.

Ayla Çınaroglu has two children. Her elder daughter, Ayşe, has collaborated with her on a number of her books.