Fendy S. Tulodo is a writer from Indonesia who enjoys poetry, music, and visual storytelling. His poems often explore memory, small moments, and quiet feelings. When he’s not writing, he spends time making music or being with his family in Malang.
You can read Laundry is a Kind of Time Machine in the April 2025 issue.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
I wrote this after doing laundry and catching a smell I hadn’t noticed in years. It pulled me back to when I was younger, watching my mom do the same thing. The poem grew from that small moment. I’ve always felt like laundry carries more than just clothes. There’s memory, emotion, even silence. I wanted to write something that shows how the everyday can hold things we don’t always have words for.
If you didn’t write poetry, how do you think you might access the same fulfillments that poetry offers in your life?
Probably through music. I make music sometimes, and it gives me a similar feeling. There’s rhythm, silence, feeling. Both let me say things I can’t always explain in day-to-day conversation.
How do you revise your work?
I let it sit for a bit. Then I read it out loud. If something feels off or forced, I try to fix it. I cut a lot. Sometimes too much. But I always save old versions, just in case. I want the poem to sound honest, not perfect.
As a poet, what does creative success or achievement look like for you?
If someone reads my poem and feels less alone, that’s enough for me. I don’t think success always means a big audience or a prize. It’s more about connection. If the poem reaches even one person in the right moment, that’s the real thing.
How or where or with what does a poem begin?
Usually something small. A line that pops into my head, or an image that sticks. Sometimes it’s a memory I don’t fully understand yet. I just follow it and write until it starts to make sense.
How do you make space for poetry in your daily routine?
I don’t write every day, but I pay attention. I jot things down when they come. A line, a thought, something I notice. Even if I don’t write a full poem, I’m always collecting little pieces. They add up over time.
Do you have a trusted first reader and how did they win the honour?
Yes. My wife reads almost everything I write first. She doesn’t try to sound like an editor or a critic. She just tells me how it feels. Sometimes she says nothing, just “I liked it,” and that’s enough. She earned that spot by always being honest and kind, even when something doesn’t quite work.
How did you begin writing poetry? Was there a specific inspiration or reason?
I started writing more seriously after I lost my father at the end of 2023. It was a quiet way to deal with everything I was feeling. Some of those early poems became lyrics in songs I released last year, but not all of them were meant to be sung. Writing helped me stay close to memories I didn’t want to let go of. That’s when poetry started to matter more to me.