Buffalo Grove author finds springboard to success in District 214 contest

Adults in the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 community with a passion for writing or creating artwork can take part in a serious competition this spring and be rewarded for their talents.

The annual District 214/Daily Herald Community Art & Writing Contest has returned, allowing adults who live in the district to compete alongside students in the annual Arts Unlimited competition.

The contest is open to submissions through March 1, said Liz Schrenk, co-coordinator of Arts Unlimited. Entries can include short stories less than 1,500 words, poems and artwork from traditional drawings and paintings to photography and multimedia.

The contest is open to all residents in the District 214 boundaries, which includes Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling.

All entries must be submitted by email to herald.contest@d214.org. Winners will be notified by April 1, receive cash prizes, be published in the Daily Herald and recognized at the Arts Unlimited reception.

Buffalo Grove resident Dennis Depcik won third place in the 2013 competition, and the encouragement he received from that success spurred him to write and publish his first book, "Wouldn't It Be Something."

Writing helped Depcik deal with the grief of losing his wife, but it was the Arts Unlimited competition that made him want to share his writing with others.

"It was good to see that what I put down in writing maybe did touch other people," Depcik said. "That's one of the reasons why I said, 'Hey, maybe I can write.'"

The book focuses on love letters between Depcik and his late wife, and was featured in the Daily Herald on Valentine's Day last year. He'll be sharing his story on "CBS Sunday Morning" in February.

"For the longest time I thought no one would want to read my story," Depcik said. "But, being acknowledged in Arts Unlimited gave me the impetus to say 'OK, I can touch people with my words.'"

Depcik is still making the rounds at libraries and grief support groups, all while working on his second book.

He encourages people to enter Arts Unlimited, even if they aren't sure about their talents.

"I think people don't know what they have inside themselves," he said. "It's important to reach for something because if you do get selected it's such an unbelievable feeling."