Friday, July 17, 2026

Author Michael Elias to Discuss, Sign ‘Bender’s L.A.’ at Vroman’s

Novelist and screenwriter Michael Elias will discuss and sign his new novel “Bender’s L.A.” at Vroman’s Bookstore at 7 p.m. Friday, July 17, in conversation with Howard Franklin.

The evening appearance brings the co-writer of “The Jerk” and creator of the ABC sitcom “Head of the Class” to Vroman’s, which calls itself Southern California’s oldest independent bookstore, for a talk and signing of a book set in the 1970s Los Angeles film world.

The event takes place at the store at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. and is listed as an adult event and book signing. Vroman’s says a purchase of the book from the store is greatly appreciated and helps make such events possible. The store can be reached at (626) 449-5320. “Bender’s L.A.” is available in paperback for $19.95.

The novel follows writer David Bender as he sets out to remake his life — romantically, professionally and spiritually — after his wife walks out on him. Set against the shadow of the Vietnam War, the story moves Bender through a 1970s Los Angeles of players, radicals, writers and artists, according to the book’s description. Elias has described the period as the book’s backdrop: “Bender arrived in Hollywood at a moment when there was a lot of stuff going on – the Vietnam War, the rise of independent film, the transition of television writers becoming screenwriters.” The book carries a one-line endorsement from Steve Martin, with whom Elias has worked for years: “I loved this book.”

Elias co-wrote the screenplay for “The Jerk” and created “Head of the Class,” which ran five seasons on ABC. He also wrote and directed the jazz drama “Lush Life” and wrote the screenplays “Young Doctors in Love,” “The Frisco Kid” and “Serial.” “Bender’s L.A.” is his third novel, following the thrillers “You Can Go Home Now” and “The Last Conquistador.” Elias has said he writes to hold a reader. “I love books that entertain,” he told the neighborhood news site Larchmont Buzz. “It’s the job of the writer to make you want to finish the book.”

The appearance is one of hundreds of author events, storytimes and other programs the store says it hosts each year at its Colorado Boulevard location in Pasadena’s Playhouse Village. Vroman’s, founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, describes itself as Southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore. Vroman left the store to longtime employees after his death in 1916, and during World War II the store donated and delivered books to Japanese Americans held in nearby internment camps, according to its published history.

The discussion and signing begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Vroman’s, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.