Bestselling Author Mitch Albom to speak at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present Mitch Albom at 8 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The event is sponsored by the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.

Albom is the author of eight books, including "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." "Tuesdays With Morrie" is now the bestselling memoir of all time, with nearly 10 million copies sold worldwide. Albom is also a nationally acclaimed newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press, nationally syndicated radio host for ABC and flagship station WJR-AM in Detroit, and television commentator who regularly appears on ESPN's "Sports Reporters."

Albom's first novel, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," was released in September 2003 and spent more than a year on The New York Times bestsellers list. A touching story about the meaning and interconnectedness of our lives, the novel received outstanding reviews across the country. Time magazine called it "a sad, sweet first novel" and "a powerful book" in a full page article on Albom. Publishers Weekly called it "sentimental and profoundly true…a contemporary American fable that will be cherished by a vast readership." With a screenplay by Albom, the novel was adapted into an ABC movie.

His "Tuesdays with Morrie" story has been featured in many national publications, including People magazine, Redbook, Life magazine, and TV Guide. Oprah Winfrey produced a major television movie for ABC based on Tuesdays with Morrie that was the most-watched on any network for that year, earning four Emmy Awards in 2000. Albom, with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, adapted the book into a drama, which opened off-Broadway late 2002. The play is currently being performed in regional theaters throughout North America.

Albom has been named No. 1 Sports Columnist in the nation by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) -- the highest honor in his field -- thirteen times. He also has placed in the Top 5 in the APSE feature writing category five times in the past seven years. During his storied career, Albom has received more than 100 writing awards from AP, UPI, Headliners Club, National Sportswriters and Broadcasters Associations, and others.

Mitch Albom has founded two charities in the Detroit area -- The Dream Fund, helping disadvantaged children to become involved with the arts, and A Time to Help, which brings volunteers together to tackle community projects. In 1999, he was named National Hospice Organization's Man of the Year.

A book signing will follow the presentation.

Tickets for Mitch Albom are $29. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.