Mitch Albom wanted to be a concert pianist. The genre’s sweet melodies can move people and affect their emotions.

It was his dream and he was passionate about playing his instrument.

On initial glance, becoming a sportswriter doesn’t appear to offer the same emotional support. But that career choice has led Albom to becoming a bestselling author.

That is how Albom found a way to affect people the way he wanted to as a musician.

Albom is now a sports columnist, radio talk show host, television panelist and author, and will be visiting the Hill tomorrow.

Albom will be speaking free of charge at Diddle Arena at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

His publicist said that Albom declined to be interviewed for this story.

Since writing “Tuesdays with Morrie,” Albom has taken on a completely new audience.

“Tuesdays with Morrie” is about life and death and the lesssons learned along the way. For the past four years, the book has been required text for all incoming freshman taking freshman seminar at Western.

All freshman seminar students are required to attend the speech tomorrow, which is why the event was moved to Diddle.

“It is highly unusual for an event like this to be held at Diddle,” said Sam Evans, the dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, and chairman of the committee which chooses speakers for the Mary E. Hensley guest speaker series.

He said he expects to have 3,000 to 4,000 people attend and that the message is something everyone can benefit from hearing.

“A lot of what he will be talking about is dealing with relationships,” Evans said.

Albom is touring the country in large part to publicize his new book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.”

It’s his first fictional book, and deals with a similar topic as “Tuesdays with Morrie.” The new book chronicles a man’s life and death, and the people who affected him.

After his speech tomorrow, he will have a book signing.

Publishers Weekly called the new book “A brief first novel that is going to make a huge impact on many hearts and minds.”

Fellow author James McBride calls the book “Deep, profound, superbly imaginative, written with the quiet eloquence of a storyteller who dares to leap into the most magical of places. This poetic book is full of lessons and hope.”

While Albom is a best selling author, his sports writing for the Detroit Free Press is where he has garnered the most acclaim.

Over the past 15 years, the Associated Press Sports Editors have named Albom the top sports columnist 13 times.

The mixture of Albom’s journalistic accomplishments and beloved readers of “Tuesday’s with Morrie” will present a large number of spectators in Diddle.

It might even seem like a recital.

A piano recital.

Reach Danny Schoenbaechler at [email protected].