Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:

• The Warren-Trumbull County Public Library will host a local author fair and poetry workshop in November.

The book fair from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Nov. 8 will feature authors from across Northeast Ohio who will be selling their work. It will include both fiction and nonfiction writers and books for children and teens as well as adults.

Authors scheduled to participate are: Alisha Alls, Terry Armstrong, Chelsea Banning, Jelisa Dallas, Cari Dubiel, Elaine Evans, M.E. Greenfield, Wendy Koile, James Laux, Lori Orr, Victoria Perkins, Karen Schubert, Aileen Stewart, Mark Strecker, Phil Suarez, Mialie T. Szymanski, Jane Ann Turzillo and Leah D. Williams.

Before the book fair, a poetry workshop is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon Nov. 8 at the library, 444 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren. Poet and Lit Youngstown Director Karen Schubert will lead the interactive workshop on crafting poetry.

Admission is free, but advance registration is required and space is limited. Call 330-399-8807, Ext. 200 to register.

• The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which played a local gig last year and was at MGM Northfield Park last night, releases a new EP on Friday with a local connection.

The five-song “Night After Night” collection was produced by Leavittsburg native Jerry Douglas, who had nothing but great things to say about the EP when we talked in August ahead of Alison Krauss & Union Station’s show last month at Jacobs Pavilion.

Douglas has a long history with the band. He played dobro on the band’s recording session for “Long Hard Road,” which went on to become the group’s first No. 1 country single in 1984.

• The 51st season of “Saturday Night Live” has been more miss than hit so far. How do they squander Amy Poehler as host and slot a sketch as bad as “The Rudemans” immediately after the monologue?

At least NBC’s streaming service Peacock continues to mine”SNL” history for enjoyable content.

The latest is “Downey Wrote That,” which focuses on the career of writer Jim Downey and his impact on the show.

Several “SNL” alums make the case that Downey may be second only to Lorne Michaels in shaping the show’s approach to comedy (some might rank him ahead of the producer). Watching the montages of sketches that Downey had a hand in, it’s hard not to think, “What DIDN’T he write?” during his 32 years there.

Downey first was hired as a writer at the start of the second season and was the youngest writer on staff. When he retired in 2013, he was by far the oldest. In between he was fired and rehired twice, wrote some of the show’s most iconic sketches and cutting “Weekend Update” bits and probably is the reason that most episodes in the last 25 years start with a political sketch (a once-great idea that hasn’t worked so well in recent years).

During his first break from “SNL,” Downey had a memorable and influential stint as head writer on “Late Night with David Letterman,” and Letterman is one of the many voices who talk about his importance.

The documentary doesn’t overstay its welcome (running time is 65 minutes) and in between the clips and testimonials are some interesting details about Downey’s approach to writing that will appeal to comedy nerds.

With no new episode this week, “Downey Wrote That” serves as a welcome alternative for those who need an “SNL” fix.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com.