GRAMMY-winning hip hop poet J. Ivy’s new poem Tom Lee Park pays tribute to the new park and its namesake.

Ian Volner | The Slowdown Magazine

Once a sterile expanse of dust and grass intended chiefly to act as a flood-prevention dyke, the site where the park now stands is in the heart of the city in more ways than one. As Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland put it, speaking to visitors on the new park's opening day, ”This is where it all began: Memphis and the river.”

Nate Berg | Fast Company Magazine

In Memphis, Tennessee, a remarkable new public park has just opened. Filling 3O acres along the edge of the Mississippi River with active, social, ecological, and architectural spaces, it could reframe the city’s fading connection to the riverfront. It could also set a new standard for what waterfront parks can do.

Nour Fakharany | ArchDaily

At its core, the design aims to strengthen the connection between downtown Memphis and the river. It offers the first accessible access to the river, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), at the Cutbank Bluff. Additionally, it provides safer pedestrian crossings at Vance, Huling, and Butler Streets on Riverside Drive.

Memphis' history and heritage are tied to the Mississippi River. From riverboat cruises to canoe adventures to the Big River Crossing, there are so many ways to connect to the river here, including exploring the newly reimagined riverfront at Tom Lee Park. Now open, the park recently underwent a $61 million facelift to better connect visitors like you to our mighty river. Now it’s your turn to explore Tom Lee Park.

Beth Broome | The New York Times

“The reinvention transforms a barren swath of patchy grass into an environment animated by native plantings and trees.”

Tom Lee Park goes vertical. A gigantic addition to the park in downtown Memphis made Wednesday one of the most important days in the TLP renovation project.

The north gate to Mud Island Park is getting a facelift! Coming soon: a new, enhanced visitor experience, better aesthetics and more clearly defined movement patterns.

Imagine a big, dreamy play space for your grandchildren. A space tucked amid solid oaks and small hills that form comfortable, safe rooms with ample shade. Space filled with wondrous wooden river creatures standing 30 feet tall, made for climbing and exploring. Space that feels right whether you are eight or 80 years old.

The transformation of the most visible real estate in Memphis — Tom Lee Park — is well underway. What was a flat and largely featureless 31 acres of open space is becoming a stunning, natural, inviting place for all of Memphis and Shelby County with Tom Lee’s legacy of kindness, generosity and empathy at the forefront.

Originally published in The Best Times, February 2022.

Submit Poetry and Spoken Word Entries Here Read the Tom Lee Contest Rules and Guidelines Memphis River Parks Partnership, with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.