[Above, Ariel Schrag on the couch. Below, the Dispatch overstays its welcome.]

• Ariel Schrag has been appearing at a number of events in New York this week in anticipation of the April 7th release of Likewise, the final chapter of her High School Comic Chronicles. You can pre-order the book online.
• March 27-29 is ConBust at Smith College in Northampton, MA. The event is sponsored by Smith College students. This year’s line-up of artists includes Webcartoonists Jeph Jacques, Jennie Breeden, and Randal Munroe.
• The “Comicfestival Fumetto in Luzern 2009” in Luzern, Switzerland lasts a whole week: from March 28 to April 5. Artists from around the world will be exhibiting.
• Looking for some people to draw comics with? Check out the calendar on the International Cartoonist Conspiracy website to see if there’s a cell of dedicated cartoonists in your area.
• The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT has announced its summer courses. Register now to get in on the summer comics goodness.
• Jaime Hernandez and Stan Sakai will be appearing at the Fantagraphics bookstore and gallery in Seattle on Saturday, April 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
• Fantagraphics Books and The Strand are presenting “An Evening With Humbug” on Tuesday, April 14, at 7 PM at The Strand bookstore in NYC. The event celebrates Humbug, a satirical magazine founded in 1957 by Harvey Kurtzman, Al Jaffee, and others.

–Athena Currier