Professional Services - Gina Frangello

Circe Consulting

At every stage of your writing life, we offer thoughtful feedback, real conversation, and genuine community. Through detailed manuscript discussion and edits, face-to-face connection via Zoom, retreats, and classes, and a supportive network of writers, we help you shape your story and bring it into the world.

Led by partners Gina Frangello and Emily Rapp Black, Circe brings cross-sectional expertise to every stage of the writing journey. Both are longtime university-level educators and the authors of multiple memoirs, novels, and story collections, with decades of experience shepherding books into the world as editors, publishers, and ghostwriters. Together, they specialize in working with survivors of loss, illness, and grief, drawing on deep experience in therapeutic group facilitation and life coaching to support writers with care and rigor.

"I came to Gina and Emily's class after working on my manuscript alone for years, and their feedback and the community they created was a game changer. I met colleagues and friends that I'm still connected with years later. I learned so much about the craft of building a longer work, in community.

After the group class, I hired Gina and Emily to developmentally edit my draft. Working with their edits was like having a super engaged conversation with two of the best writers on the planet about my own story - and query letter. What an incredible gift! They helped me understand the world of publishing, what agents and editors are looking for, and how to present myself and my work clearly and authentically to folks on the business side of writing. This experience was crucial for my career and for landing an agent."

“Working with Gina Frangello on my first novel Currency was a revelation, and I haven’t published anything significant since that she hasn’t made better with her sharp eye, probing questions, and understanding of human psychology. She has decades of experience with writing and publishing, and she goes DEEP! Her editorial letters are as long as some short stories, and I’ve turned to them repeatedly in revision of both fiction and memoir to help me unpack layers of meaning and adjust nuances of point of view and structure. Gina isn’t an editor you go to for an easy gold star and a pat on the head. She makes you think hard and grow as a writer. This kind of attention is rare in our sound-bite world, and my work has been much better for it.”

“When I hired Emily and Gina to be my ghostwriters, they started out as complete strangers. However, during our first formal meeting together, they became fast friends. They made the process fun and easier than I ever would have envisioned. These two rock stars know their stuff. They are beyond creative and so professional. What I love most of all through this process with them, is that they still made it seem like it was always my voice on the pages. I will forever be indebted to them for bringing my dream come true. The Road To Yesterday would have never become a reality without Emily and Gina!”

Craft School

Craft School is a collaborative, community-centered writing program presented by Writing in the Dark and Circe Consulting and led by Jeannine Ouellette, Emily Rapp Black, and Gina Frangello. Designed for prose writers at all levels, the program combines close reading of acclaimed work, live virtual instruction, visiting writers and publishing professionals, generative writing spaces, and small peer groups to deepen craft through sustained, joyful practice. With monthly live Zooms, ongoing discussion, and a rigorous yet supportive cohort model, CRAFT SCHOOL offers a space to write with intention, curiosity, and connection.

Craft School faculty Gina Frangello, Jeannine Ouellette, and Emily Rapp Black are acclaimed, multi-genre writers and deeply experienced teachers with decades of collective experience in publishing, editing, and mentoring writers at every stage. Their work spans memoir, fiction, and cultural criticism, and their teaching is grounded in rigor, generosity, and a belief in the transformative power of story—both on the page and in life.